Digimon: Curse of the Administrators
by Anubus
Summary: A new DigiDestined team is formed to stop a takeover of the Digital World by a group of humans calling themselves Administrators. Chapter 26 is now up! Please read and review!
1. A DigiDestined Is Born

-1Digimon: Curse of the Administrators

Disclaimer: This is a fan fiction. I do not own any material belonging to anyone but myself. The original characters are COPYRIGHT TO ME AND MY BROTHER! If you use my (or my brother's) characters or this story without my permission (and good luck getting that), I WILL take legal action against you. More detailed credits will be at the end of the story.

Disclaimer 2: This is based somewhat in the Digimon universe (from seasons 1-3, and maybe some of 4), and somewhat in my original universe. If you do not agree with something happening, do not flame me for not sticking to the original universe. Fanfic writing is about creativity, not conformity.

A Digi-Destined Is Born

_The year: 2034. Location: The ruins of New York City_

The hot, sandy wind passed the young man like a sheet of glass shards broken by a foolish child's baseball. He was clad in a dark robe that covered his entire body. The once proud and booming city he had come to love so much now looked more like a desert. Only tops of buildings, which had collapsed when their supports had failed them, were visible, and even they were obscured by the wind.

Something had happened here, and it had happened quickly. It was quick enough to even pass _him_ by. Someone, or something, had reduced the city, the world, to this state.

The man searched the area. Not a soul but himself. Or so he thought…

He passed a bent fence and entered a large building that had been spared, for the most part, by the mysterious attack. Sand filled this place as well. There were computers sitting on tables, all of which were off or showing nothing but nonsense. Bodies with large slash marks littered the floor of the room. It was not a pretty sight.

"Whoever did this," he said, "sure didn't believe in subtlety."

He approached one of the powered down computers and pressed the power switch. The screen came to life and displayed the government's logo. A window appeared: Please Enter Password.

He grunted and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small mechanical device and plugged it into the computer. The screen flashed for a few seconds, and the password entered itself automatically. He returned the machine to his pocket and began searching through the government files. He had to find out exactly what happened.

One file caught his eye, entitled "What Have We Wrought?"

He opened it and began to read:

"For years, we at the research facility Alpha Zero have been researching the phenomenon of renegade, sophisticated, and sometimes even hostile AI programs. The phenomenon was discovered twenty years ago by an unknown scientist who first made contact with such an AI during a test of a new program. While the program was being installed, a malfunction occurred that threatened to wipe out the government's entire database and destroy national security as we knew it. However, one of the said AI programs, which had not been installed into our network, not only repaired the program, but enhanced it."

The man's brow furrowed, "Renegade AI…That's interesting and all, but get to the point."

He scrolled down a bit, and the document continued, "…The AI types were classified into three categories: Data, Virus, and Vaccine. Data types were typical AI programs with no obvious purpose but to interact with humans. Virus types sought chaos and destruction. And Vaccine types were devoted to helping humans and destroying any Virus types that caused any trouble. There were some exceptions, of course. It was remarkable to find an intelligence that humans did not create, that existed in something that humans had created. However, this discovery may very well cost humanity everything if we are not careful.

Approximately two years ago, an anomaly was detected within our base's perimeter. When the guards got a close look, our worst fears had become a reality. The renegade AI constructs within our network had somehow found a way to exit it and enter our world. Our soldiers quickly dispatched them, but that will not be the end of this, we are sure of it.

Humanity tried to meddle with something it did not understand, and it will undoubtedly pay the price."

The document ended there. The man growled, obviously not satisfied, "Nothing about the events that occurred today. What a waste of--"

The computer started to make a strange ringing sound. The man gave it an odd look, wondering if it was going to explode. Suddenly a bright light erupted from the computer's screen, enveloping him and the entire building. When the light faded, only he and the computer remained. Even without a power source, it remained in the same state. The man checked his surroundings. When he looked above him, he saw a large blue light hanging in the air. A scythed hand reached out, and soon the body of a large insect-like creature emerged and landed on the ground in front of the man.

"At last," the insect said, "So this is the human world… But it seems that the balance of power has already shifted."

The man immediately drew his weapon, a katana, and faced the bug, "What in the pit are you?"

The bug faced him, "A human survivor, eh? That's good, because I got hungry on the way here!"

"Tch," the man spat, "Do you want to die? Fine by me!"

He leapt at the bug and swung his sword, only to be knocked back to the ground.

The bug swung its scythe-like arms, firing two red energy crescents at him, "Twin Sickles!"

The beams soared at him, and the man was unable to avoid them.

Suddenly a voice rang out, "Diamond Storm!"

A barrage of crystalline spikes rained down in front of the man, dispersing the energy beams.

The bug looked around, "What the! Who--"

The same attack fell upon the bug, sending it to the ground. A few seconds of agony-filled screaming, and it simply faded away.

The man frantically checked his surroundings, "Name yourself!"

His savior stepped out from the darkness she had been hiding in. She stood about six and a half feet tall, and had the appearance of a rather large fox. She stared at him coldly, "It is not safe here, and you are needed. Come."

The man shook his head, "Not until you explain what's going on, and who you are."

The fox grabbed him by his shirt collar and lifted him to her level, "Come with me. _Now_."

"Hey, let go of me!"

"Your resistance is irritating. If you do not come willingly, then I will knock you out and carry you back with me."

The man growled, "Go _where_, exactly?"

"There," the fox said, looking up at the blue light in the sky. She leapt toward it with her powerful legs and entered it. They seemed to be passing through a wormhole of sort, with numbers and computer coding passing by them as they flew. A few moments later, they exited the wormhole and landed inside a large, metallic building.

A capsule-like robot addressed them, "Ah, splendid! The experiment was a success!"

The fox put her captive down and nodded at the robot, "Yes, he is unharmed. Good work, Datamon. There was another Digimon there, but I took care of it."

The man quickly stood and drew his sword, "What the hell's going on here!"

"My, my," Datamon said condescendingly, "Quite a lively one, is he not?"

"Yes, but he is the one that we need," the fox woman said.

The man pressed the sword against the fox's neck, "Answer me!"

She looked down at him, unafraid of the weapon, "You have been taken to an alternate plain. Please take care while your body accustoms to digitalization."

"Digitalization… Wait a minute. Are you a renegade AI?"

"To you humans, yes. We prefer to call ourselves Digimon."

"Digi… mon..?"

"Yes. 'Digimon' is short for 'Digital Monster'."

"The way you've treated me so far, 'monster' is an appropriate word."

"Your attempts to insult me will go in vain. You are only here because you are needed."

The man lowered the sword, "Why should I help you?"

"We are practically one in the same, you and I. We should try to get along."

"I'm nothing like you."

The fox pulled the man's hood off, "Is that so?"

The man was actually a young boy, about fourteen years old. His hair was black with some golden-blond streaks in it, and he had two fox-like ears on top of his head. His eyes were an angelic blue.

The boy scowled, "How did you know?"

"I can smell them. You have a tail, too. Two of them, correct?"

"Yeah… Who are you, anyway?"

The fox knelt, as if to show respect, "Renamon. It is a pleasure. And you are?"

"My name is… Vincent."

Datamon interjected, "And I am Datamon, at your service!"

Vincent raised an eyebrow, "What's with 'mon', anyway? Are you all called that?"

"Yes. All Digimon have 'mon' at the end of their names."

Renamon cleared her throat, "In any case, Vincent, we need your help."

Vincent looked skeptical, "How can a kid help you? You're much more powerful than I am."

"Yes, that is true. However, we shall need your presence, your influence, to become stronger."

"I don't believe in that magical aura crap."

"No magic. Simply logic. You were able to hack the human government's mainframe, and you were able to enter the Digital World. You are what legends call a 'Digi-Destined'."

"I used a machine to hack into the computer. As for this Digital World, I don't know what's going on…"

Renamon reached into Vincent's pocket and pulled out the hacking device, which had changed shape, "This machine?"

"W-Wait a minute… It's… different," he said. It was now bent into an oval-like shape with a black stripe surrounding a small screen.

"The fabled Digivice," Datamon said excitedly, "He truly is a capable human!"

"This machine… I used it to hack the computer, but it didn't look like this."

"The Digital World changes things that enter it as the main program sees fit. Obviously that machine you carried was meant to become your Digivice!"

Renamon nodded, "However, the Digital World's main program, the DigiCore, has been acting strangely for the past few years. We have been finding several corrupted Digimon wreaking havoc on the weaker inhabitants of Digiworld. Datamon and the rest of our intelligence team believes that these two incidents are connected."

"Yes," Datamon said, "So we have been looking for someone to assist us in ridding our world of this corruption. Vincent, I implore you. Please help us."

"I dunno," Vincent said, unsure of the situation.

"If you do, we will assist you in rebuilding your world back to its prior state."

Vincent thought about it for a moment and the nodded, "Alright then. What do you need me to do?"

"Splendid! Alright, first things first. You will go with your Digimon partner and head out to Mainframe, the main city of this continent. Look for any information you can as to what is happening to the world and then contact me using your Digivice."

Vincent looked one way, and then the other, "Digimon partner? I don't see anyone."

Renamon put her hand on his shoulder and nodded.

Vincent looked up at her, "You?"

"Do try to get along, you two," Datamon said, "Good luck!"

They left the building, Vincent walking ahead, "Man, why do I have to do this…"

"It is for the sake of both our worlds," Renamon said.

"Look, lady, I don't particularly care what happens to you or your world. I just wanna go home."

"Is that so," Renamon walked ahead of him, "Very well then. See what happens to you without my help."

"I can take care of myself," Vincent scowled. He kept walking, not quite intent on letting Renamon leave him for dead. "I don't even know my way around," he thought, "She's my only lead."

They walked in silence along a dirt path through a forest. Vincent felt extremely open to attack.

Renamon seemed to sense his unease, "Stick close to me if you're afraid."

Vincent, his pride being tested, let out a mocking laugh, "As if I'd be scared of a world that isn't even real."

"You will soon find out that this world is actually quite real. Whether you keep talking or not will determine who teaches you that: Another Digimon, or me."

Vincent would not be silenced, "Whatever, fuzzy. How far is this city, anyway?"

Renamon was silent.

"Hey, fox lady. You hear me?"

Still no answer.

"Hey!"

Still no answer.

Vincent paused for a moment, and then said, "Renamon?"

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you answer me before?"

"I answer only to my correct name."

Vincent growled, "You just did that to spite me."

"Maybe," Renamon kept walking. Vincent followed, silently cursing her.

As they walked, Renamon noticed that they were being followed. She stopped and motioned for him to stop as well.

"What is it," Vincent asked.

"We are not alone."

A group of mushroom-heads appeared from the bushes around them, quickly surrounding them. The mushroom creatures had purple toadstool bodies and evil grins on their faces. Vincent's Digivice started to beep. He took it out of his pocket and looked at it. It was displaying the mushroom creatures and their statistics.

"Mushroomon. It's a Virus type," Vincent said, "Is this what the Digivice is for?"

"Possibly. Ask Datamon when we're done here," Renamon said. She addressed the Mushroomon, "What do you want?"

"We smelled an impurity, and we were right… Now we can cleanse you both," the leader said, laughing sadistically.

" 'Cleanse'? I do not wish for such a thing. Move at once, or be destroyed."

"You heard her, boys! Attack," the Mushroomon ran at them, "Fungus Cruncher!"

They began throwing mushrooms at them that exploded into spores. Vincent pulled his hood over his face to keep himself from breathing them in.

Renamon leapt into the air and began attacking the Mushroomon with her Diamond Storm.

Vincent drew his sword and began swinging wildly at his opponents, "Die, freaks!"

The sword easily cut through their soft bodies, but they did not die.

"The human has a weapon," one of them said, "Unheard of!"

"I'll tell you what's unheard of," Vincent said angrily. He jumped into the air, came down onto one of the Mushroomon and impaled it through the head, "Ugly talking mushrooms!"

The Mushroomon screamed and faded away, just as the insect he had encountered back in the human world. Two of them grabbed him by the arms, immobilizing him.

Another one stepped in front of him and began swinging its fists wildly, "Laughing Smasher!"

Vincent kept trying to free his arms as he was pummeled by his attacker, "Renamon!"

Renamon dispatched another Mushroomon and turned to face him, "Vincent! Hold on!"

She spread her arms, the crystalline spikes appearing once again, "Diamond Storm!"

The spikes stuck into the Mushroomon, killing all three of them. They were all gone.

Vincent collapsed to his knees, "Damn…They hurt a lot for fungus…"

Renamon knelt down to his level, "Now you know just how real this world and its dangers are. Be more careful next time."

He grunted angrily, "Whatever."

He would have thanked her, had he not been too aggravated at being beaten so easily.

Renamon helped him stand, "You are hurt…Let me carry you."

"As if."

"Do not be stubborn. I can handle carrying a little human boy."

"Aren't you hurt?"

Renamon was breathing heavily. The spores had gotten to her, "I am fine."

She lifted Vincent in her arms and began to run toward the city.

"How far away are we," he asked, suddenly feeling relaxed.

"Not too far. About half an hour away," Renamon said, trying to keep focused. Her eyesight was starting to blur, "Those damned toadstools poisoned me…"

"Stop," Vincent said.

Renamon stopped running, "What?"

He jumped out of her arms and looked around, "Isn't there something that'll cure your poison?"

"Maybe. I know what such a thing looks like. Just do me a favor and…help me walk," Renamon said, her strength fleeting quickly.

Vincent nodded and held onto Renamon, guiding her to the woods to the side, "Just tell me if you start to feel worse."

"Your care is comforting. Thank you."

Vincent grunted, "I'm only doing this because without you I'll die out here."

Renamon laughed, "Whatever you say. I think I see the plant."

She pointed at a red leaf on the top of a tree, "I need that one there."

Vincent walked over to the tree and started to climb, "Wait right there, I'll get it for you."

Renamon half-sat, half-fell to the ground, "I appreciate it."

Vincent reached the top of the tree and grabbed the leaf, "Last one…I'm glad nothing else took it."

He jumped down and handed the leaf to her.

Renamon shook her head, "I am afraid I cannot simply eat it. It needs to be boiled."

Vincent let his head hang down, "You gotta be kidding! How am I supposed to do that?"

"There is a place nearby with a boiling pond…We must go there."

"A boiling pond…You mean a hot spring? Why didn't you say so in the first place," he put the leaf in his pocket and took Renamon's hand, "Let's go, quickly."

He let Renamon lead them to the hot spring. There were several other Digimon already there.

"Will they be trouble," he asked.

Renamon shook her head, "No, they are all fine. Do you have anything to put water into?"

Vincent looked around and saw a strange plant with a bell-like shape, "I think so."

He picked the plant, gathered some water into it, and put the leaf in it.

"Now we wait," Renamon said, "I just hope I have time."

"Just hold yourself together, please," Vincent took her hand and squeezed it hard, "You just gotta stay awake."

Renamon smiled, "Since when were you so…worried about me?"

"Like I said, I'm just worried about how I'll survive out here. Don't let it go to your head," he gave her the plant, which was now cooked enough, "Here, this should be ready, right?"

"Yes, thank you," she took the leaf out of the water and ate it, "Now my strength should return."

"Good, because I don't wanna stick around and wait for someone to come and kill us."

Renamon let herself fall onto the grass, "If anyone should try, it will be up to you to take care of it while I'm resting."

Vincent sat down beside her, "Then I'll stand guard."

Renamon smiled and closed her eyes, allowing herself to fall asleep. Vincent kept watch over the entire area, not letting a single detail pass him by. The other Digimon in the area seemed to pay them no notice. One of them caught his eye, however. From behind she looked like a human girl, except with leafy wings. Upon closer examination, he realized that she was not a human at all. She had vines for hair and a tulip blossom on her head.

Vincent took his Digivice out from his pocket and opened it. Data about the girl immediately displayed, "Lillymon. She's a data type"

The girl turned around, revealing her black, almond-shaped eyes and flower dress. She was pretty cute for a collection of 1's and 0's. She gave him a friendly smile, "Oh, hello there."

Vincent waved, "Hey."

She approached him, seeming intrigued, "What kind of Digimon are you?"

"Oh, I'm…not a…Digimon," Vincent said, unsure of her reaction.

Lillymon tilted her head to the side, "Then…what are you?"

"A human," he said, "Or at least, I come from the human world."

Lillymon stepped back, "You're not…an Administrator, are you?"

"Administrator? I'm fourteen years old. I don't think even a fast food restaurant would hire me at that age," Vincent said, a bit puzzled.

"Oh, good…You're not a bad human if you're not an Administrator," Lillymon said, calming down again.

"So what is an Administrator?"

"They are humans that can reprogram the code of the Digital World to practically any way they see fit. They work for the human government."

"They 'did' is more appropriate. The human world is in ruin."

Lillymon frowned, "I see…Those rotten Administrators are to blame. All their messing around is bad enough, but now one of them is supposedly using his abilities to influence and corrupt Digimon and is using them as some kind of weapon."

"So there are some survivors of the Digimon attack," Vincent said, some hope flaring up.

"I don't know too much, but I do know that when these Administrators came here, some bad things have been happening," Lillymon said.

"I see…Renamon and I are actually looking into that, so your information will be very useful. Thanks," Vincent said, looking over at Renamon and making sure she was still breathing.

Lillymon smiled, "Not a problem. Well, I have to go. Good luck with the investigation."

She started to walk away, but stopped, "Wait, something's wrong--"

The water in the hot spring started to bubble. The other Digimon around them started to panic and evacuate the spring.

Vincent stood and drew his sword, "What's going on?"

"Something is rising from the water!"

A large fountain of water shot into the air. When it settled, it revealed a large serpent-like beast with a metal horn protruding from its head.

Vincent aimed his Digivice at it, "Megaseadramon… 'Ultimate' level? I guess that means it's powerful…"

"The guardian of the spring," Lillymon said, "Megaseadramon…Something's wrong, he's not usually like this!"

The serpent roared, "Destroy! _Destroy all_!"

Lillymon leapt into the air and began to fly toward the monster. A large flower appeared in her hand, which she aimed at Megaseadramon. She seemed to pull some kind of trigger, and the flower was fired at Megaseadramon, "Flower Cannon!"

The flower hit the sea monster, but it had little effect. Megaseadramon used his gargantuan tail to knock Lillymon out of the sky and pin her to the ground.

Vincent leapt at the monster, "Hey, who do you think you are!"

He tried to drive his sword into Megaseadramon's hide, but it simply bounced off. His scales were too tough to be penetrated.

"Get out of here," Lillymon said, "You're only…a human!"

Vincent continuously tried to impale Megaseadramon, but each attempt failed, "Renamon told me to take care of things, and that's what I'm gonna do!"

Megaseadramon tossed Lillymon to the side and whipped Vincent with his tail, sending him deep into the water. It was quite deep for a hot spring. The sea serpent started to gather energy into its horn. When it was fully charged, it released it into the water, "Thunder Javelin!"

The shock went through the water and struck Vincent, numbing his body. Had it not spread itself thin in the water, it would have killed him. Regardless of the danger, Vincent rose to the surface and kept attacking, hoping to find a weak spot.

As he leapt into the air to attack, Megaseadramon grabbed him with his tail, immobilizing his arms and sending his sword flying from his hand. The serpent started to squeeze, attempting to crush Vincent, who could only struggle and scream in pain.

Renamon started to awaken. She lifted herself off of the grass and saw Vincent's situation, "What has he gotten himself into now?"

She leapt at Megaseadramon and hit him with a Diamond Storm, but it had little effect. Renamon growled, "Damn…Ultimate level. I can't beat an Ultimate level, even if I Digivolve…Not that I can, anyway. It would take a miracle for Vincent to meet the prerequisites…"

She looked around for any Digimon that may have stayed when something shiny caught her eye. It was Vincent's sword. She quickly picked it up and leapt at Megaseadramon, "Let him go!"

She slashed at the weak flesh on the tail and severed it, letting Vincent free. She caught his hand and set him down on the ground.

Vincent grunted, "Rena…mon…"

"It's alright. Let me handle it now," Renamon said reassuringly.

"No," Vincent struggled to his feet, "You still haven't fully recovered. It'll take both of us to beat this thing."

Renamon paused, but nodded in consent. They both leapt at Megaseadramon, each of them going to an opposite side to confuse it. Renamon hit it from behind with her Diamond Storm, while Vincent kept attacking from the front. Their attacks still bounced off of its hide. Megaseadramon was obviously getting tired of the annoyance. In one swift move, he lunged forward and caught Vincent in his mouth.

Renamon stared in horror, "Vincent, no!"

However, Megaseadramon was finding his meal a bit hard to swallow. Vincent was hanging onto one of the many sharp teeth that lined the sea creature's mouth.

"Damn," he said, "How do I get out of this one?"

He looked around and realized something: He was inside of Megaseadramon now!

"Of course! The weaker flesh is on the inside," Vincent steadied himself. Putting all doubt aside, he thrust his sword into the roof of Megaseadramon's mouth. The serpent let out a loud roar and fell on its side, defeated. Vincent had just started to climb out when Megaseadramon began to fade away.

"You're alright," Renamon said, joining him.

"I'll be fine," Vincent reassured her. He looked at the disappearing Digimon before them, "Why do Digimon fade away like that, anyway?"

"When a Digimon dies, its data is reformatted. Eventually it is recombined to create another Digimon. Whether it is the same Digimon or not depends on how good of a soul it has."

"Digimon have souls..?"

"Of course. Did you assume otherwise?"

Vincent crossed his arms in thought, "Well…I guess so. It's just easy to forget that even AI's can have complex emotions. After all, the existence of Digimon was quite hidden from the human public."

Renamon shrugged, "I do not take offense to your assumption."

Vincent watched for a moment as she walked away, "Hey, Renamon?"

"Yes?"

"Would you…come back as the same Digimon if you ever…died?"

Renamon stopped walking and turned back to him, "That depends on you."

"Me?"

"Maybe if you're good I'll explain it to you one day," Renamon kept walking.

Vincent sighed, looked back to see if Lillymon was still alive (which she was), and followed his fox companion.

They finally exited the forest and could see the city. Vincent took his Digivice from his pocket and started to press the buttons in random orders, not quite knowing what they did.

"I'd be careful if I were you," Renamon said, "You never know what you could destroy with such a powerful device."

"As if it could do anything destructive," Vincent said.

"What about making an inconvenience of yourself?"

"Do you honestly think I care?"

Renamon sighed, "I'm beginning to think, more and more, that Datamon meant this as a sick joke…Pairing the two of us together."

"Speaking of Datamon, I should ask him what this thing is actually used for," Vincent said, pressing another button that had a picture of an envelope on it, which told him that it was meant for sending messages.

"Do you know what you're doing," Renamon looked over his shoulder to make sure he did not damage it.

"Not really," Vincent said. He pressed a few more buttons and Datamon's face appeared on the screen, "Hey, Datamon!"

The robotic Digimon jumped, "What? Oh, it's you…I see you have figured out how to use the Digivice. Well done!"

"Not quite. I was hoping you would tell me how to use the rest of its functions so fuzzy here stays off my back about it."

Datamon scratched the top of his head, "You mean…you don't know?"

Vincent narrowed his eyes, "No, I don't know…"

"Oh dear…I thought you would, seeing as you had it with you before you came here."

"It didn't look like a retarded oval when I had it in my world, you heap of scrap!"

"Please, calm down! I am sure that it will show you itself when the time is right."

Vincent's patience were being tested, "Machines don't just tell you things whenever they want! I think I've proved that by talking to you!"

Renamon hit Vincent in the head and leaned forward so she was in view, "Datamon, excuse his rudeness. If you find anything out, please contact us."

"Ah, Renamon! I was hoping you had stayed patient and did not abandon this boy already. It seems my faith in you is well placed!"

Renamon leaned in close to the screen, "He's driving me crazy…"

Vincent growled, "Who's driving who crazy?"

"Now, now, you two…Settle down," Datamon said. He pressed a few keys on his computer, "Have you found any information about the corruption so far?"

Vincent pushed Renamon's head away from the screen with his own so he could see, "A Digimon named Lillymon told me that a group of humans called Administrators is responsible for the trouble. She told me that they are able to manipulate the Digital World as they see fit."

Datamon pondered this for a moment, "Well, obviously that is not one hundred percent true, otherwise the entire Digital World would be under their control. Their power must be limited to a certain degree."

"To what degree," Renamon said, "is what we must find out. And how to stop it."

Datamon nodded, "Yes, indeed. Renamon, Vincent, continue to Mainframe and see if you can't figure anything out."

"Alright. We will update you with any information as we gather it."

"Yep," Vincent said, "Each bit of info is one step toward home for me."

"I'm counting on you," Datamon said, and the screen went blank.

Vincent switched the Digivice off and returned it to his pocket, "So, shall we go?"

"You're in a hurry. What changed your attitude?"

"I just feel like we're actually getting somewhere, that's all."

Renamon walked ahead, "All we know right now is the name of our enemy and a minute amount of knowledge of their abilities. It's a start, but don't start packing your bags just yet."

Vincent followed, "You sure are a pessimist."

"And you are..?"

"I try to be optimistic. That's what my father…my REAL father…taught me."

Renamon looked back at him, "What happened to your father?"

"He was killed trying to protect my mother and I. When they killed my father, they came back for my mother. I was the only survivor."

"Who are 'they'?"

"I…don't know. There were people dressed in dark robes with blades for weapons. My father, he was a swordsman, but these people were more than human…Hell, maybe even more than superhuman."

Renamon walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder, "I am sorry. I had…no idea what you had been through."

Vincent shook his head, "Don't worry about it. You don't have to concern yourself with my life. Besides, I have…or I should say I had foster parents before the Digimon attack. I hated them dreadfully, but at least I had someone to rely on."

Renamon paused and thought, "Is that how he feels about me..?"

Vincent was a bit surprised when Renamon wordlessly walked ahead, "Hey, you okay?"

"Fine," the fox said coldly.

"okay…"

They finally reached the city. It was twilight and the city's lights were starting to turn on. Vincent could have mistaken it for a human city had it not contained hundreds of Digimon.

"So, who do we go to see for information," Vincent asked.

"The head Digimon of the city. But we will do that tomorrow. For now, we should find a hotel to sleep in."

They walked through the streets, passing buildings with strange writing on them. Vincent assumed that this was the Digital World's written language, although he could not see why it differed from English, seeing as every Digimon he encountered seemed to understand him.

Renamon finally spotted an inn and led them inside. It had a very cozy and homely feeling to it.

She went to the reception desk and rang the bell. A ghost-like Digimon that looked more like a torn up floating sheet with eyes and a mouth appeared at the desk, "Yes?"

"I'd like a room for two, please. Nothing too fancy."

"One moment," the ghost said, pressing a few keys on the computer on the desk, "Name, please?"

"Renamon. He's Vincent."

"A human, huh…He isn't a troublemaker, is he?"

"No, by no means."

"Alright…But it will be you in the tannery if something happens, vixen. Here's your key. The room is up the stairs, room 1.5."

"Thank you," Renamon took the key and started to walk up the stairs.

Vincent followed with curiosity probing at his mind, "Why 1.5?"

"Why not? It's as good as any other room."

"That's not what I meant. Usually rooms go by whole numbers."

"Since when?"

He realized that they had a different style of numbering, and decided to drop the subject, "Never mind."

They walked into the room. It had two beds, a bathroom, and a recliner. Renamon sat on one of the beds and let herself fall back onto it, "A rest is definitely what I needed."

Vincent leaned against one of the walls, "I'm not tired."

"You shouldn't overwork yourself. It's not good for both your mind and body."

He looked at her with one eye closed. He obviously was tired, but he would not admit it, "I don't care about stress."

"It seems there are a lot of things that you do not care about," Renamon said with a sigh.

Vincent could not understand why she sounded so aggravated, "Hey, is something wrong?"

"What makes you think that?"

"You just sound so…upset."

Renamon turned away from him, "Don't concern yourself with my life."

"Hey, don't use my words against me. I opened up to you, right?"

She grunted, "It's nothing important. You should get some sleep."

Vincent started to speak, but stopped himself. He lay on his bed, defeated. "Goodnight," he said.

Renamon gave him a quick wave, "Goodnight."

She pulled the blanket over her body, exposing only her head. "He speaks as if he cares," she thought, "but he only cares about himself…"


	2. The Journey Continues

The Journey Continues

Vincent sat up in his bed and yawned. That rest had been the best he had ever taken. "Man…I guess she was right about one thing. I did need rest," he looked over at the other bed. Renamon was still sleeping. He walked over and pulled the blanket away from her face. "She looks like a kit when she's sleeping. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was cute."

Renamon stirred and opened her eyes, looking up at Vincent, "Oh, you're awake."

"Yeah. Did you have a good rest?"

"Yes. And you?"

"Yep. I'm sorry I doubted your judgment," he said, letting himself smile for the first time since he came to the Digital World.

Renamon nodded and sat up, "Don't worry about it. As long as we are both in top shape, things will be alright."

Vincent started to walk into the bathroom, "I think I'll take a bath…Unless you'd rather go first."

"Go ahead. I'll take a look around the city first."

Vincent shrugged, "If you insist."

Renamon stood, stretched, and walked downstairs. "Some time alone will do me good, anyway…"

The ghost receptionist called to her, "You know you have the room for the rest of the day, right?"

"Yes, thank you," Renamon said, walking out the door. She leapt into the air, using the buildings as stepping stones to get from place to place. She had no real destination. She simply needed some time to think. She landed on top of one of the tall buildings and watched the city's inhabitants go about their lives, "All of these Digimon…They are depending on Vincent and I. But…I will never become any stronger if we stay like this."

She sat, letting her feet hang over the edge, "His selfishness will be both of our undoing…and he will become just like those Administrators that Lillymon spoke of. He is a strong-willed boy with potential to be kind, but something is keeping him from letting his anger go. And even if he could let it go, that would not change his selfish desire to return home and leave our world in ruin…"

She let her head hang, "What a mess this is…"

Another Digimon approached her. He was wearing a blue steeple hat adorned with a skull design, a blue cape covered in magical symbols, yellow shirt and pants, and brown gloves and boots. He carried a staff with a sun-shaped ornament at its top. "Having trouble, old friend," he asked her.

Renamon looked at the other Digimon, "Wizardmon…How long has it been?"

"At least five years now. You seem distressed. Is something wrong?"

She shook her head, "I was chosen to accompany a human to purge the corruption from our world, but so far he has shown me nothing but selfishness…Anything he does is for no one's gain but himself."

Wizardmon sat next to her, "Humans are strange creatures. You know that they sometimes say what they don't mean."

"I know…I just get the feeling that he doesn't care for me."

"Can you say that after thinking about your last partner?"

Renamon was silent for a moment. Her last partner was a girl who had acted the same way as Vincent, but had eventually become Renamon's best friend. But that was so many years ago, and she had surely been killed, just like the other humans. "Rika and Vincent…They are two different people."

"Of course they are, but you can't let that decide how you feel about Vincent," Wizardmon said, standing, "I have to go now. I have some business to take care of."

"Will I see you again?"

"Of course. I will make sure of it," Wizardmon stood, tipped his hat to her, and left.

Renamon sighed, "Vincent…Will you change like Rika did..?"

Vincent stepped out of the bathroom, grumbling about not having a fresh change of clothes. Regardless, he decided to go out and look for Renamon. He walked outside and looked around, "Man, how am I gonna find her here?"

He walked around, seeing if he could sniff her out. Being part fox, he had a more sensitive nose. He picked up what he thought was Renamon's scent and followed it. After a short walk downtown, he found that the smell was coming from the top of the building he stood in front of. He jumped onto the fire escape ladder and climbed to the roof, where he saw Renamon sitting with her head down and hugging her knees.

"Hey, you okay," he asked her.

Renamon jumped and turned around, "Vincent…How did you find me?"

"I can smell a fox a mile away," Vincent said jokingly.

Renamon turned away, "I see…So, you are ready to go, I assume."

"What's the big hurry," Vincent asked, "Hey, you've been acting strangely ever since we got here…You know, if something's wrong, you can tell me."

"I've told you before, nothing's wrong. Let's go," she grabbed Vincent's arm and jumped off of the building.

Vincent sighed, "Renamon…"

She landed and started walking toward the center of the city, "The head Digimon's house is this way."

Vincent followed wordlessly, figuring that she would not tell him what was bothering her.

They reached the mayor's office and requested entry. The guards had been expecting them, so they let them in.

"That was easy enough. So, who is the mayor, anyway," Vincent asked.

"His name is Centarumon. You will know him when you see him. He's kind of hard to mistake," Renamon said, guiding him to the main office.

"You've been here before?"

"Once."

"What for?"

"Something similar to what we're doing now," she knocked on the door of Centarumon's office, "Excuse me, it's Renamon."

The door opened, and there stood Centarumon. As the name suggested, he was a centaur (half man, half horse) with metal gloves and a knight's helmet. He stepped back to let them in, "Ah, welcome! I have been expecting you two."

"We'd have been here sooner, but we hit a few snags along the way," Renamon said.

"It's fine, don't worry about it. Now, what is it that you had to ask me about?"

Vincent spoke, "The group of humans who call themselves Administrators…Who are they?"

Centarumon looked at him intently, "So, you have heard about them…I was hoping to keep this quiet until we had more information. Well, I'll tell you all I know."

"Please do," Renamon said, "We are working toward ridding their corruption from Digiworld."

"That is a noble task. I hope this information can help you. There are several humans with powers of Administrators, humans who oversaw and changed things within the Digital World before travel between our two worlds was discovered. When these humans came to Digiworld, their powers grew considerably, and some of them used these powers to corrupt and control certain aspects of Digiworld, including some Digimon. I don't know their intentions or how many of them there are, but I do know that they have banded together. They are wreaking havoc on the Digital World, and must be stopped."

"That's why we're here," Vincent said.

"Thank you both. If you succeed, the Digital World will be saved. Now, here is the last bit of my information, and be sure to keep this quiet. There are five key points in Digiworld called Focus Towers. These towers all lead to the DigiCore, and it is my belief that some of these towers have fallen under the control of the Administrators. If they are all taken, they will have complete power over the DigiCore, and that could mean death or enslavement for all Digimon. Furthermore, without these towers in our power, we will not be able to restore the human world."

"You knew?"

"Datamon called me earlier and explained some of your situation, young Vincent."

"Is there a focus tower on each continent," Renamon asked.

"Yes, that is correct. We believe that the one on this continent has been taken over by an Administrator. It is also our belief that he is the least experienced, but that does not mean you should not be careful when confronting him," Centarumon started to lead them out, "If you have no further questions, then I must send you on your way. I have more appointments today."

Vincent reached into his pocket, "Hey, I have a question."

"Yes?"

He took out his Digivice and showed it to Centarumon, "Do you know how to work this thing?"

Centarumon looked at it for a moment and shrugged.

"Never mind," Vincent said, "I guess I really do have to wait for it to show me…"

They exited the building and Vincent sighed, "Man…we didn't figure much out at all, did we?"

"Baby steps are still steps," Renamon said.

Vincent nodded and took out his Digivice again. He contacted Datamon and told him everything they had found out and their next destination.

"So, are you ready," Renamon asked.

Vincent put his Digivice away, "Yep."

Renamon heard Wizardmon's voice, "Renamon, hold on a moment!"

She turned around, "What is it, Wizardmon?"

He landed in front of her and bowed, "Forgive me for halting your journey, but I had to say goodbye before you left."

"I will be back."

"Also, I had to give you this," Wizardmon handed Renamon a small computer chip, "For you and your partner. Have him install it onto his Digivice. It will protect you from the Administrators' corruption powers."

Renamon smiled, "Thank you, Wizardmon. This will surely come in handy."

Vincent nodded, "Yeah, thanks."

Wizardmon floated into the air and waved, "You are welcome. Farewell, Renamon, until we meet again."

Vincent quickly installed the chip into the Digivice, which had a small slot that seemed to have been meant for just that purpose, "You two old friends or something?"

"Yes. He was one of my only friends. We should go," Renamon knelt down, "It would be quicker if you rode on my back."

"I couldn't make you do that."

"You're not. I am offering. Now, get on before I force you."

Vincent shrugged and did as he was instructed, "Whatever you say."

Renamon started to run at top speed toward the Focus Tower. It was clearly visible from the city, but only because it was so tall. She felt Vincent lean into her, making her think that he might not be such a bad person after all. She dismissed the thought for the time being and kept running. After a while, they stopped to rest. The tower was still pretty far off in the distance.

"This is going to take a while," Renamon said.

"Isn't there any form of transportation that leads into the tower," Vincent asked, sitting against a tree.

"There is, but I'm not sure if it is still running. There is a station not too far from here, so we can check that when we're rested."

"When _we_ are rested? You did all the running," Vincent said, "Which you didn't have to do, by the way."

Renamon shook her head, "I'll be fine."

"We really should keep going…I'll carry _you_ this time," Vincent said.

Renamon laughed, "No, that will not be necessary."

"Why not? You did it for me."

"I honestly doubt you can carry someone who is nearly two feet taller than you."

Vincent raised an eyebrow, "I'm stronger than I look."

He knelt down and motioned for Renamon to get on his back. After a few moments, she complied. Vincent was nowhere near as fast as Renamon, but his speed was considerable.

"Don't push yourself too hard," Renamon said, "You'll only slow us both down if you do."

"I gotcha," Vincent said, picking up speed. They had to stop and rest one more time, where Renamon took over the running, and then they finally reached the station. The train was not there, but there were Digimon waiting for it.

Vincent looked around and spotted the train approaching from the city, "Hey, lucky us."

The train stopped, and a group of men dressed in black clothing came from seemingly out of nowhere and got onto the train. These were human men.

Renamon became tense, "Are they Administrators?"

"I dunno, but we should get on before it leaves," Vincent said, getting into the train.

Renamon followed, "This is risky…"

One of the men addressed Vincent, "Halt! Why are you not in uniform?"

Vincent was confused, "Excuse me?"

"Never mind. You must be a new recruit. Show me your ID."

Vincent reached into his pocket, "Hmm…I know I have it here somewhere."

With a flash, he pulled his hand out of his pocket and hit the man with an uppercut, knocking him out. The others drew their weapons, strangely shaped guns, and aimed them at Vincent, "Freeze!"

Renamon kicked one of the men into the rest of them and proceeded to knock each of them out, "So this was your bright idea?"

"More or less," Vincent said, "Hey, we found the Administrators, right?"

"I suppose…"


	3. You're My Friend

-1You're My Friend

The train arrived at the tower, where more Administrators patrolled. Vincent had taken possession of one of the guard's uniforms so they could sneak around. Renamon did not have to be burdened with such a thing, for which she was thankful.

"Just act like a soldier," Renamon said.

"I gotcha," Vincent said, walking out of the train. They passed groups of soldiers that were carrying supplies and guarding rooms. Vincent had to find out where the commander was.

"I guess there is more than one class of Administrator," he thought, "Some are more like grunts, while there are others with much greater powers."

They passed by a group of Digimon that were apparently being controlled by these Administrators.

"If we beat the commander, will they all go free," Vincent thought.

Renamon was looking back and forth, checking if anyone was getting suspicious.

"Renamon," Vincent whispered, "There's a computer console over there…I'm gonna see if I can find out where the commander is."

"Want me to cause a distraction?"

"Anything, as long as it won't expose you or I to any danger."

Renamon nodded, formed one crystal shard from her Diamond Storm, and shot it into an energy canister. The force ignited it and caused it and several other canisters to explode. Vincent immediately started to hack into the computer and search for the main Administrator.

Renamon leaned against the wall next to him to obscure the guards' views, "You like?"

"I like," Vincent said, "I got it…He's on the top floor, the control center."

The guards were too busy trying to put out the fires to notice them getting into the elevator. Vincent pressed the button for the top floor, and the elevator started to move.

"You know they'll discover us once we reach the top floor," Renamon said.

Vincent nodded, "By then it will be too late. We've already caught them by surprise."

"Don't overestimate yourself," Renamon warned. She put her hand on his shoulder, "And please, be careful."

Vincent looked up at her and placed his hand over hers, "You, too."

They reached the top floor, which consisted only of the control room. It was filled with computers and Administrators.

The Administrator commander turned to face them, "Yes, what is it?"

Vincent cleared his throat and tried to make his voice deeper, "There has been an explosion downstairs. They need more assistance in putting the fires out. The soldiers downstairs want you to send some help from up here."

"I see…Guards, go downstairs. No one strong enough will ever make their way up here, anyway."

Vincent waited until the guards left, and then drew his sword, "Now…Time for some answers."

The commander turned around, "What is the meaning of this?"

"I regret to inform you that I'm not one of you," Vincent pulled the hood off of his face, "But that doesn't matter. You're gonna regret what you've done."

The commander laughed, "Do you know who I am?"

"You're an Administrator scumbag."

"I am Charles Ruebon, commander of the Server continent. You have a Digimon companion? Well, she's mine now," he held out his hand and fired a beam of darkness at Renamon, but it dispersed before it hit her, "What!"

Renamon smiled, "Looks like that program worked."

"Yes, it seems so," Vincent said. He ran toward Charles, "Now meet your ultimate punishment!"

Charles sidestepped the attack and knocked Vincent into a wall. Renamon started to attack, but was blocked by a group of small dog-like Digimon.

Vincent scanned them with his Digivice, "Gazimon…Virus type. Attacks with Electric Stun Blast. Renamon, be careful!"

Charles laughed, "Try to defeat them! I think you will find it quite challenging."

Vincent swung his sword at Charles, barely missing him, "Die!"

Charles leapt back onto a large square platform in the room, which quickly raised an energy shield around him, "You can't break this shield. Only by defeating all of my minions can you hope to do that."

Renamon was busy blasting the Gazimon with her Diamond Storm, but her strength was failing quickly. The shocks that were being sent into her were numbing her body, and she was starting to show signs of fatigue.

The Gazimons' pack leader laughed evilly, "Alright everyone, all together! Electric Stun Blast!"

The shocks hit Renamon, knocking her to the floor, "D-Dammit…Vincent, help…"

Vincent ignored Charles for now and started to attack the Gazimon, "Get away from her!"

He swung his sword wildly, killing a few of them, but there were many more.

One of the Gazimon growled, "Let's bring this fight somewhere else! Pitfall!"

A large hole appeared under Renamon and the majority of the Gazimon. They fell through, and the hole closed up, leaving Vincent to deal with the rest.

Vincent closed his hands into fists, "Renamon! What did you do to her!"

"Oh, you shouldn't worry about her. We're taking _very_ good care of her, right boys," one of the Gazimon said. The others laughed sadistically.

In a fit of anger, Vincent cut each one of them down, not giving them a chance to react. He looked around for Charles. The platform was gone. The room went dark and a strange humming sound emitted from the walls.

"What's…going on," Vincent asked. A bright light filled the entire room, and when it faded, Vincent was standing in a room that was very familiar to him.

"What…This is…my living room," he looked around, dumbfounded, "I thought the human world was…destroyed."

A woman in her late thirties approached him, "Good morning, Vincent."

He turned to face her, "Mother…What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Wasn't I…The world, it was attacked…"

"Oh, Vincent, I think you were dreaming."

Vincent put his hand on his head, "Dreaming…"

His mother smiled, "Well, you're awake now. And I can assure you that the world was not attacked by anything."

He went to look outside. As his mother said, everything was in perfect order, "Was it really a dream? It seemed too real to be a dream…"

Renamon leaned against the wall at the bottom of the pit that she had fallen into. She had managed to defeat the Gazimon, but she was in no condition to fight what was approaching her. She could barely see it in the dim light, but the four red glowing eyes gave it away. It stepped into a thin ray of light that protruded through the ceiling, revealing just how terrifying it looked. It looked like a cross between a wolf and a dragon, with black skin, torn black wings, a long tail, and red-clawed hands. It was a Devidramon.

Renamon tried to stand, but she was too weak, "Vincent…where are you..?"

The only thing that separated Renamon and Devidramon was a large metal gate that did not look too sturdy. Devidramon started to bash the gate with its massive fists. Renamon knew that she would die if she stayed there, but where could she run?

"You had better get here quickly…or our world is doomed."

Vincent sat in his room, trying to gather his thoughts. He knew that this was his house, and that woman was his mother, but something was not right. Something did not feel right about this place. He decided to clear his mind by surfing the internet. He sat at the computer and started to check the usual sites. After a few minutes, a message popped up saying that he had mail. He went to his email provider and looked in his inbox. There was a message titled "WAKE UP". The sender's email address was just a bunch of 1's and 0's with no "mail or anything. Intrigued, he opened the email. Suddenly his entire screen went black, and a video clip of Renamon leaning against a stone wall appeared.

"Renamon," Vincent said, "So it wasn't a dream…But then what is this?"

Vincent's mother stood in the doorway, "Vincent, you don't need to watch that."

"But…I've seen that fox girl before."

"You don't need to watch it."

Vincent narrowed his eyes, "Mother…Why have you been acting so strangely? You're never nice to me…"

She seemed to be confused for a moment, and managed to stutter, "I…I had a-a change of heart."

"Another thing….Where's father?"

"Father? You don't have a father."

Vincent growled. He did so have a father, and he was the worst one in the world. Something _definitely_ was not right, "You're not my mother…"

The woman started to twitch and move uncontrollably, "I am so-so your moth-moth-mother how dare you-you-you say such a th-thing--"

She started to speak nonsense, and after a few moments, she disappeared into a cluster of numbers.

"What the hell is going on here," Vincent shouted. He looked back at the computer, "Renamon! Can you hear me!"

Renamon looked around. She could hear him, but she could not see him, "Vincent…Where are you?"

"I don't know! I thought I had been transported home, but now I'm not so sure."

Renamon let her head hang forward, "So you would have left me…Is that it?"

"What? No! Is that why you've been so upset?"

"You would leave me just to go to your home and then our world would be doomed…And I would be alone again."

"No, Renamon! How do I get out of here? Dammit, how do I get out!"

Devidramon was almost through the gate, growling furiously.

Vincent heard the noise, "What was that? Are you in danger?"

"Devidramon is going to kill me. But with a partner who only cares about himself, I cannot hope to defend myself. Goodbye, Vincent," Renamon said, closing her eyes and awaiting the inevitable. She added, "Know that…even if you did not care for me, I still care for you now."

"Renamon! I know I say some harsh things, but…I don't want to lose you," Vincent pulled his Digivice from his pocket and plugged it into the computer, "Come on, let me back in!"

The Digivice beeped, and a voice recording played, "New program installed."

The room was enveloped in light, and Vincent appeared in front of Renamon. He drew his sword, parrying Devidramon as he struck, "Renamon…Run! I can't hold him forever!"

Renamon opened her eyes again, "Vincent…you…You protected me…"

Vincent's legs started to buckle, "Go, now!"

Renamon gathered as much of her strength as she could and leapt at Devidramon and delivered a sharp kick to his face, "No!"

The dragon was barely stunned by the attack, and proceeded to strike back, "Crimson Claw!"

The claws struck Renamon and sent her flying into the back wall. She coughed, "N-No…"

Vincent rushed to her side, "Renamon, don't you dare die on me!"

He saw a mist of particles floating in the air, and realized that they were coming from Renamon, "No! Don't fade away, Renamon!"

"What do you care? You're just…a human," Renamon said, awaiting the end.

"I do care! I don't just want you around so you can protect me or guide me…I want you around because I've…I've grown attached to you! You're my friend, Renamon…Please, don't go…"

Renamon looked at him, "Your…friend?"

The particles of data started to reverse their direction and flow back into Renamon. Vincent hugged her tight, "Please…You're the only friend I've ever had…"

Renamon felt her strength returning at an enormous rate. She started to stand, "Yes…I can feel it…"

Vincent stood with her, "Feel…what?"

"Your kindness…Your strength. Your words are true, Vincent."

Vincent's Digivice began to glow, and the same voice from before spoke, "New program activating."

Renamon's body started to glow, "This power…I've…felt it before!"

Her body began to reshape itself. She bent forward, her arms becoming front legs, and her tail becoming nine. A red and white rope with bells on each end entwined around her neck. White flames started to emit from her tails and feet. To complete the change, a yin-yang symbol appeared on her forehead.

Renamon finally spoke, "Renamon Digivolves to…Kyubimon!"

Vincent gazed upon this new form that Renamon had taken with awe, "R-Renamon?"

"That's 'Kyubimon' for now," Kyubimon said. She faced Devidramon, "Now it's time for a little payback!"

Devidramon swung its claws at her again, but she dodged them easily. A fireball appeared on each of her tails, "Watch this!"

She fired each of them at Devidramon, "Fox Tail Inferno!"

The fireballs exploded upon impact with Devidramon, sending him flying backward.

"It's time to finish the job," Kyubimon leapt at Devidramon and started to roll in the air. A blue flame appeared around her, and she stopped rolling. The flame took the shape of a large dragon and soared at Devidramon, "Dragon Wheel!"

The flame hit Devidramon. The evil Digimon faded away, and there was silence.

Kyubimon landed next to Vincent, "Are you alright?"

Vincent threw his arms around her, "I should be asking you that…"

Kyubimon rested her head on Vincent's shoulder, "I am fine, thanks to you."

"What do you mean?"

"A Digimon and its human companion are chosen to fight together because they are seen as compatible in personality. In other words, they must be able to get to know and like each other," Kyubimon reverted to Renamon, "I thought you were a selfish little boy with no desire but to go home and leave me here…But I was wrong."

"Renamon…I would never do that to you," Vincent said, a smile spreading across his face, "I'd never leave you."

Renamon smiled as well, "And I would never leave you."

"When we save the Digital World…I don't want to leave."

"What?"

Vincent looked away, "There is…nothing for me there. My reason for living there died along with my family. So I'll stay here…so neither of us have to be alone."

Renamon knelt down to his level, "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

She hugged him, "Vincent…you have a big heart. Never let it stray from its purity."

Vincent closed his eyes and let himself settle into her embrace, "I won't."

Renamon looked around, "So, how do we get out of here?"

"I guess we should go past where that other Digimon was," Vincent said, pointing at where Devidramon once stood. There was a path with a staircase leading up.

"There's only one way to find out," Renamon said, walking toward the staircase with Vincent following at her side.

Charles held his head in agony, "Agh! Damn! That interloping brat saw through my illusion! You had better have a good explanation to this!"

Wizardmon was leaning against a wall, breathing heavily, "I…don't know what happened. I was supplying you power, just like you commanded. What did I do wrong?"

"Obviously _something_! Otherwise the illusion would have been perfect," Charles growled. An alarm started to sound, and a video feed of Renamon and Vincent heading up the staircase appeared on his computer screen, "Damn…Wizardmon, get out of here. We can't let them know you're working with us. Not yet."

Wizardmon stepped onto a dome-shaped panel on the floor. A beam of light shone from the panel, and Wizardmon vanished.

"I will have to disable the teleporter when I leave," Charles said.

The door to the room crashed in. Vincent and Renamon ran in.

Vincent drew his sword and threw it at Charles' computer, disabling the teleporter, "No you don't!"

Charles growled, "Vermin! Devidramon--"

"Devidramon is dead," Renamon said, "And soon, you will be, too."

Vincent retrieved his sword and pointed it at Charles, "Surrender or die. Those are your only options."

Charles' lips turned up in a twisted grin, "Oh? I don't think so," he threw his robe to the side and pulled a sort of switch out of his pocket, "Look at this! This switch controls the trigger for the explosives under my suit! You make one wrong move, and we all go straight to hell!"

Renamon snarled, "You dirty little…"

"Now then… What will it be? Will you let me go to plague the Digital World with my comrades, or will you die and only put a minor dent in the Administrators?"

"I think you know the answer to that," Renamon leapt at him, tackling him out the window.

Vincent ran to the window, "Renamon, no!"

Charles growled, "Accursed beast! Now you die!"

Renamon placed her feet on Charles' chest and, just as he pressed the switch, kicked off of him. The force from the explosion sent her flying upward, nearly back up to the control room.

Vincent reached out and grabbed her hand, "Gotcha!"

Renamon smiled, "Where would I be without you?"

Vincent pulled her back into the room and fell to the floor, causing Renamon to land on top of him. He raised an eyebrow, "Well then… this is awkward."

Renamon's eyes narrowed, "I don't know _what_ you're thinking, but you'd better stop."

"Yes, ma'am," Vincent said, snickering.

"We had better get out of here. The other Administrators will surely be here soon."

"Wait up," Vincent took his Digivice out and plugged it into the tower's computer, "I'm gonna try to safeguard the tower so they can't control it again."

"Not a bad idea, actually."

A few keystrokes, and the protection program that Wizardmon had given them uploaded into the computer.

"That should do it," Vincent said, putting his Digivice away.

"Very good," Renamon looked out the window and thought for a moment. She looked back at Vincent, "We can't take the elevator… It's going down. Probably because the others are coming this way. Come over here and get on my back."

"Um… You're not thinking what I think you are, are you? I do recall just saving you from falling there," Vincent said nervously.

"Oh, suck it up, you big sissy," Renamon grabbed him around the waist and jumped out the window, "It's sure better than being shot."

"Oh, gods," Vincent whined.

They hit the ground and Renamon landed perfectly. She looked back at the building, "How are we going to liberate this place?"

"Either beat the crap out of or kill the other Administrators," Vincent said, drawing his sword.

"Killing them doesn't sound like something you'd prefer to do."

"Of course I don't _want_ to kill them… They might be evil, but they're still humans."

"And yet it was easy for you to kill the Mushroomon and Gazimon."

Vincent paused, "They were endangering you… When I realized that, I just lost it."

Renamon smiled, "You've wanted to protect me from the start?"

"Well… For a different reason at first, but you know it's different now."

"Of course. Now, we should--"

The door exploded open. A group of Administrator grunts came running out of the tower with their robes on fire, "Run! The commander is dead!"

An even larger group of Digimon ran out, pursuing them. They were shouting taunting and threatening things at the Administrators, who could only run and scream.

Vincent and Renamon were left to watch the chaos that led into the fields beyond them.

"Well," Vincent said, "I can't exactly say I was expecting that."

Renamon shook her head, "You and me both. I guess the commander is the source of the control of the corrupted Digimon, which means that they should be okay now."

Vincent's Digivice began to beep. He picked it up and saw that Datamon was trying to contact him. He pressed the receive button and saw Datamon's face appear.

"You did it," the excited Digimon cried, "The tower has returned to normal! I never thought it was possible!"

Renamon and Vincent both looked at him in shock, "What!"

Datamon immediately realized his mistake, "Oh-- I mean, um… Well, you see…"

Vincent shook the Digivice in anger, "You mean you sent us out here when you thought we didn't have a chance!"

"Now, now, please calm down--"

"Don't tell me to calm down, you overgrown trash can! We could have _died_! Renamon almost did!"

Renamon growled and put her hand on Vincent's shoulder, "Enough… Shouting won't make things better."

Vincent nodded, "Right…"

Datamon cleared his throat, "I am sorry for putting you both in that situation, but I did not have any other choice. And besides, was it not Centarumon who sent you here?"

They both paused. Vincent mumbled, "Well, you're the one who brought me here in the first place and sent us both out into the world," his mumbling turned into a shout, "without so much as a _freaking map_!"

Renamon covered his mouth, "Stop yelling!"

Vincent mumbled something incoherent and tried to pull her hand away, but it would not budge.

Renamon sighed and looked back at the Digivice, "Anyway, Centarumon said that most of the towers are under Administrator control. We need to get to the next continent."

"Well, it seems that the rest of them have fallen under the Administrators' control, so… You have four more towers to liberate," Datamon pressed a few keys on his computer and brought up a map of the Digital World, "I will upload this map into your Digivice, Vincent. I suggest that you head to the Network continent. It is a busy place, so you can probably find a lot of information there."

"Right. We'll take a boat there, then. Did you get that, Vincent?"

Vincent managed to pull her hand off of his mouth, "Yes, I got it, now let me go!"

Renamon complied and bid Datamon farewell. Vincent growled, "So, Lady Three Fingers, where's the port?"

"Lady Three Fingers, eh? Maybe I should make up a nickname for you… or worse."

"What's worse?"

Renamon walked ahead and laughed, "Lots of things."

"I think I can safely assume that most of them involve some kind of pain…"

"No, not a lot of them."

Vincent shrugged and followed her, trying to imagine what she would do if he persisted. He decided that the risk was worth taking, "How bad can it be?"

Renamon stopped and turned around, "Do you really want to know that badly?"

"Wouldn't hurt to know what I'm in for if I piss you off in the future."

She grabbed him by one of his ears and pulled him along, "This is one of them. There are many things I can do that are similar to it, seeing as your ears and tails are probably quite sensitive to touch, correct?"

Vincent followed, stumbling along as his body started to relax, "Hey, let go… You're gonna make this harder for both of us if you do this…"

Renamon let go, "You wanted to know."

"I didn't expect _that_."

"That's the point."

Vincent grinned, thinking that her ears and tail worked the same way. He jumped onto her, wrapping his legs around her waist so he could hold himself high enough to reach, and grabbed onto her ears and tugged.

Renamon let out a yelp, "Hey, cut it out! You're going to make us f-fall--!"

She fell backward, landing hard on top of Vincent. She sighed, "And we did…"

Vincent snickered, rubbing the back of his head, "Hehehe… ooow…"

"Are you hurt?"

"Just a bump on the head. Um… Can I stand, please?"

Renamon crossed her arms, "I'm not sure I should let you, seeing as you're pulling stunts like that."

"Oh, don't be a bitc--"

"_Vixen._"

"What?"

"I'm a vixen, not a bitch."

Vincent grunted, "Really funny…"

"I know," Renamon laughed. She reached behind her and started to tickle Vincent's ribs, "And so is this, apparently."

Vincent crawled out from under, "Oh _gods_ no! Don't even think about it!"

Renamon snickered, "Ticklish?"

"Quite. Why are you so playful all of a sudden?"

"You seem to know how to put me in a playful mood."

"And don't we have a job to do?"

"You know," Renamon put her hand on his shoulder, "Being a Digi-destined isn't all work and no play. You're allowed to have fun, too. It's not like the Administrators will be actively looking for us yet."

Vincent thought for a moment. He saw her point, and he was not sure when the next time they could have fun would be. He smiled and hugged her, "Alright then, I'll take your word for it."


	4. Destined or Tamer?

Destined or Tamer?

A pair of green feline eyes watched them through the trees above them. The cat Digimon to which they belonged leapt from branch to branch silently. This Digimon, Gatomon, a white cat with large green eyes, a long tail with a ring on it, and a yellow clawed glove on each hand jumped out of the trees and landed on a rock. A man looking around eighteen years old with long blue hair, a black over-shirt and long blue jeans stood behind it. His entire body was covered in fur, making him look very fox-like. His mirror sunglasses reflected the setting sun.

"So," the man said to Gatomon, "Is he one?"

"No. Just a normal kid, from the looks of it," the cat Digimon said, her tail swaying in the wind.

The man laughed, "Looks like there's no reason to kill him, then… Pity. I was hoping for one."

"Sora, why are you always like that?"

"I dunno… Maybe I'm just tired of hiding from these Administrators. Maybe I just wanna kill them all, and it's just getting me all hyped up. Oh well. Who cares about the reason? Gatomon, let's see if this guy is worthy of being a Tamer."

Gatomon nodded and led Sora to Vincent and Renamon. She pointed at the clearing where they stood, "There they are."

"Got it," Sora started to walk toward them.

Renamon's ear twitched, "We have company…"

Vincent drew his sword and faced Sora, "What do you want?"

Sora smiled, almost looking friendly, "Please, no need to get defensive yet. I at least want to know who it is I'm going to be fighting."

"Who are you? An Administrator?"

"Are _you_?"

"No."

"Me neither. However, you're a Tamer, aren't you?"

"Tamer? No idea what you're talkin' about, pal."

"He's obviously just some idiot who got brought here by accident," Gatomon said mockingly.

Vincent growled, "Watch your mouth, hairball!"

Sora laughed, "It seems that tensions are high already. Very well then, let's play."

Renamon stood in front of Vincent, "Stay back. I'll take care of this."

Vincent nodded, "Alright, but be careful. This guy's either very strong or just very confident."

Gatomon snickered, "Oh, believe me. We're strong," she leapt at Renamon and swung her claws at her, "Lightning Claw!"

The attack sent Renamon flying to the side, knocking down a tree. She stood and leapt at Gatomon, "Wisteria Punch!"

Gatomon easily dodged each strike that Renamon unleashed and knocked her to the ground, "You're too slow, foxy."

Renamon picked herself up again, "Dammit, what gives?"

Vincent took out his Digivice and scanned Gatomon, "Vaccine type… Champion level! But… she's so small!"

Sora smiled victoriously, "Ha! Didn't your mom ever tell you that size didn't matter?"

Vincent growled, "My mother's an evil woman, I'll have you know!"

"Sorry to hear that. Gatomon, finish the fox!"

Gatomon swung at Renamon again, but this time she dodged it.

"Renamon," Vincent shouted, holding out his Digivice, "You have to Digivolve!"

The Digivice started to glow and Renamon became encased in light once again. "Renamon Digivolves to… Kyubimon!"

She growled and leapt at Gatomon, knocking her to the ground and wrestling with her. Gatomon managed to knock her off, but that only gave her the range necessary to attack.

Kyubimon's tails ignited into blue flames, which she fired at Gatomon, "Fox Tail Inferno!"

The flames hit her head on and sent her flying backward. Sora caught her with a very gentle grace, "Enough."

Vincent pointed his sword at him, "'Enough'! You started the fight!"

"I was simply testing you. Seeing if you were truly fit to be a Tamer."

"What the _hell_ is a Tamer?"

"One who fights alongside a Digimon. Known to the dumb prophecy lovers as 'Digi-Destined'."

"That's a Tamer? Why didn't you say that in the first place?"

"I didn't know you were traveling with such an old fossil," Sora shook his head.

Kyubimon snarled, "_Fossil!_ I've got news for you, boy! The Digi-Destined are real! The past events of the Digital World proves that!"

"I just don't believe in destiny. I prefer to choose what I do. Anyway," he walked up to Vincent and held out his hand, "I'm Sora. And you are?"

Vincent reluctantly took his hand, still not trusting him, "Vincent. Is this how you make first impressions with _everyone_?"

Sora laughed, "No, just other Tamers who I don't know. I didn't know if you were, like Gatomon said, an idiot who was brought here by accident."

"And what's your verdict on that? I already know mine."

"You don't seem like an idiot. Let's be friends, shall we?"

Kyubimon de-Digivolved into Renamon, "You sure are friendly when you're not attacking without reason."

"Sorry about that. I gotta make sure, you know?"

Gatomon crossed her arms, "Well, if you're convinced then that's good enough for me. Just don't get in our way, Mr. Digi-Destined."

"Hey, don't be like that," Sora pleaded.

Vincent scoffed, "Whatever, Rabies."

Renamon put her hand on Vincent's shoulder, "Ignore her, please."

"Yeah, I know."

Sora put Gatomon on his shoulder, "So, I see the Administrators are gone from this tower. You guys came to see the action, too?"

"Actually," Vincent said, "We _were_ the action."

"Wait… You fought the Administrators?"

"Yeah. Don't you?"

"I'm not _that_ suicidal. Those guys can destroy people like us and corrupt Digimon. You took an awful risk doing this…"

"We have a program that prevents the corruption," Renamon said.

Sora lowered his sunglasses, revealing his hornet-yellow eyes, "There is such a thing?"

"Yes. Show him, Vincent."

Vincent nodded and removed his Digivice from his pocket. He took out the chip that Wizardmon had given them and showed it to Sora, "This is it."

"Hmm… Is there any way to copy it, perchance?"

Vincent put the chip back and thought. An idea occurred to him, "I wonder…"

He took the hacking wire out of his Digivice and plugged it into Sora's, "For some reason, this plug fits in perfectly… It's almost as if the original design for the Digivice was based off of my hacking gear… But how is that possible if you've been here longer than me?"

"How did you figure that I was here before you?"

"You seem to know what you're doing."

"Ah ha. Anyway, I don't know how that turned out. Maybe someone knew about you beforehand."

"Maybe," Vincent typed in a few commands into his Digivice, "I think I can copy the program onto your Digivice's hard drive."

The two Digivices beeped in unison, and a mechanical voice said, "Program copied."

Renamon looked at Vincent, "Since when did you know how to work it?"

"I guessed," Vincent replied sheepishly.

Renamon sighed, "Right… Why couldn't I guess?"

Sora laughed, "Well, at least it worked, eh? What do you say we get to that port you were talkin' about earlier?"

"It's nice to see that you were _spying_ on us," Vincent mumbled, "Right, let's go. Which way, Renamon?"

Renamon started to walk, "Follow me. It will take some time, but if we go back to Mainframe, we can get a boat ride there."

"Man," Sora said, "That'll take hours…"

"If we don't walk it won't," Renamon said.

"What do you suggest?"

She Digivolved into Kyubimon and lowered herself to the ground, "Both of you, on my back."

Vincent scratched the back of his head, "You sure you don't mind carrying people around all the time?"

"It's no big deal. It saves us time."

"Alright, if you say so," Vincent said, getting on.

Sora did the same, "As long as you aren't gonna crash or anything."

Kyubimon scowled, "I'm a Digimon, not a car."

They made their way back to the city, not taking the train in case any other Administrators decided to show up. When they got back, they decided to let Renamon rest for a while. She claimed to not need to rest, but Vincent saw that she was about to collapse, so he insisted.

"So," Sora said, "What's your story, kid? How long have you been here?"

Vincent shrugged, "This is only my second day. Soon it'll be my third, seeing as it's almost sunset."

"Damn, you just got here… And yet Renamon Digivolved already."

"How long have you been here?"

"Two months."

"And when did Gatomon Digivolve?"

"Well," Sora said, pausing to think of how to word it best, "She was like this when we teamed up."

"At Champion level?"

Gatomon spoke up, "My Rookie form is Salamon. It's really weak compared to most Rookie level Digimon, so in special cases like me, I can stay in my Champion form unless I run out of energy."

Vincent nodded, "I see…"

Renamon suddenly sensed something wrong in the area, "I smell an Administrator…"

Vincent went to draw his sword, but Renamon stopped him. He nodded, "Right. But where is he?"

"Over there," Sora said, motioning in the general direction to which the Administrators were standing. There were five of them, all clad in the trademarked black robes, conversing with a group of Digimon.

"Damn," Vincent looked back and forth, "What do we do now?"

Renamon took his hand, "We need to go to the port, _now_."

They started to exit the crowd quickly. The Administrators seemed to notice this and immediately followed. One of them shouted, "Hey, I saw them at the tower when Commander Ruebon died! They're rebels!"

Vincent growled, "Dammit, looks like we're gonna have to fight."

A voice rang out in the crowd, "Magical Game!"

A beam of pure magical energy rained down onto the Administrators, sending three of them crumpling to the floor. Wizardmon appeared, bashed one of the standing Administrators with his staff, and spin-kicked the other. That one stood back up, "Y-You, but you're--"

Wizardmon hit him with his staff, leaving him unconscious like the others. He turned to Renamon, "I didn't expect to see you here after liberating that tower. You surprise me, old friend."

Renamon smiled, "Thanks for your help."

Gatomon looked closely at Wizardmon, "Hey… Can I ask you something?"

Wizardmon nodded, "Sure, little one, how may I help you?"

"Do you… recognize me in any way?"

Wizardmon was silent for a moment, and a strange look appeared on his face. He put his hand on his forehead and let out a distressed gasp.

"What's wrong?"

He shook his head, "N-Nothing. Sorry, I don't seem to remember ever meeting you."

Gatomon's ears drooped, "I see. Well, thanks anyway."

Wizardmon nodded, "You all should head for the next continent if you are planning to stop the Administrators."

"Wait," Renamon said, "Why don't you come with us?"

"I'm sorry, but I have other business to attend to. Rest assured, we will meet again. Who knows, maybe I will even meet you on the next continent. Where are you going, anyway?"

"Network. That's where Datamon said we should go," Renamon said.

Wizardmon nodded, "Very well then," he tipped his hat to them, "My friends, I bid you farewell for now. May we meet again soon."

They once again parted ways. Wizardmon got to work on getting the knocked out Administrators out of sight and wiping their memory of his attack, while the Digi-Destined (or Tamer) group left for the port.

Vincent looked back at the crowd where they had spoken, "You think he's gonna be okay? They're gonna be looking for him now."

"It's okay," Renamon said, "He can make them forget everything about what just happened."

"That's a handy skill."

Gatomon sighed, "Wizardmon… So, it wasn't you, after all."

Sora looked at her, "Hey, do you know him or something?"

"Yeah… Well, I knew _a_ Wizardmon. A long time ago, when I was with my first human partner, he fought with us against an evil Digimon called Myotismon. He died protecting us…"

"I see… I'm sorry to hear that."

Vincent scratched the back of his head, "You know, and forgive me for saying this, it seems kinda hard to distinguish between different Digimon of the same… I don't even know what to call them… 'Type'?"

"Well," Renamon said, "We Digimon can always tell who is who because we can sense the particular data within them. Humans, well… I guess it's inherent in the Digi-Destined-- or Tamers, for you, Sora-- to know who is who."

"I dunno… I guess it grows on you in time."

"He looked like the same Wizardmon… He acted like him, too. But he says he doesn't remember," Gatomon said, letting her head hang down, "Oh well…"

Sora laid a sympathetic hand on her head, "Don't worry, Gatomon. Whatever happens, happens, right? Who knows, maybe he _is_ the real one, but since it's been so long he just forgot?"

Gatomon smiled, "Thanks, Sora. Even if you're wrong, it helps to know that you care."

"Any time," Sora smiled. He looked at Renamon and Vincent, "So, it looks like we're coming up to the port."

The port was full of ships, big and small. Renamon pointed at a large ship at the end of the dock, "There's the ship to Network. We need to buy tickets."

"How? We don't have jobs to get any money," Sora said.

"I have plenty."

"Where'd you get it?"

"I work at Datamon's research lab. I don't do it for free."

Vincent laughed, "I figured he'd say something like 'You are assisting me in scientific breakthroughs! That is enough pay for anyone'!"

Renamon sighed, "Let's just go…"

She bought the tickets and led them to the boat. Vincent kept looking around, "I can't shake the thought that we're being watched…"

"You're imagining things," Renamon said, "Just watch the waves and relax."

Vincent sighed, "I get seasick."

"Oh, great," Sora said, "Just wonderful."

They reached the Network continent and disembarked at a port city. There were several Digimon hauling fish and supplies to and from ships, and sometimes to small food shops. It looked like a farmers' market to Vincent.

"So," Sora said, "Where to?"

Vincent looked at his Digivice's map, "There's a city called Clockwork not too far from here. Sounds like a really productive place."

"It is," Renamon said, "It's one of the main cities of this continent, from what I have heard."

"You've never been here before?"

"No. I read about it, but that's about it."

"Looks like we're starting from scratch, then," Vincent said. His stomach growled and he cringed, "Um… After we stop somewhere and eat, eh?"

Sora sighed, "Well… I haven't eaten since last night, and I'm sure you guys haven't eaten much, either."

Renamon chuckled, "Alright, let's get something from here."

Gatomon's eyes lit up, "Good, because the fish smell was really starting to tempt me…"

"Because you're a kitty," Sora said, scratching her ears. As they approached the fish stand, Vincent stopped short. Sora raised an eyebrow, "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah, it's just… I feel like we're being watched again," Vincent said, looking around to see if there were any Administrators spying on them. He spotted a Japanese human girl with black hair, wearing a black shirt that cut off about half way down her stomach, and a black coat. The irises of her eyes were red. She was staring right at them, and seemed to be the source of the cold feeling he was getting. He looked back at Sora, "And I think we _are_. Look over there."

Sora looked, "You think she's…"

"I don't know. She doesn't look like she's an Administrator."

The girl quickly turned around and started to leave. Vincent started to follow her, "I'll be right back. Save me some fish, will ya?"

Sora sighed, "God dammit… If she is an Administrator, she just might kill him."

Vincent followed her until they had reached the town's end. He called to her, "Hey, hold on a second."

The girl stopped and turned to him, "What?"

"You don't have a Digimon partner… Are you an Administrator?"

"Maybe I'm a Digimon."

"Yeah, right. Tell me who you are."

"That is awful rude. How about you introduce yourself first?"

"The Administrators don't need to know my name."

"For your information," the girl said taking a few steps toward him, "I'm not an Administrator."

"They're the only humans I ever see without Digimon partners here."

"Well maybe I wasn't chosen to get partnered up then," she turned and walked away. Vincent sighed and went back to the others. If she had been an Administrator, she would have probably killed him on sight anyway. _Probably_.

Sora spotted him returning, "So, how'd it go?"

"I don't think she's an Administrator," Vincent said, "Still… What an odd feeling she gave me."

"What kind of feeling?"

"Really cold… Like I was being watched by some kind of demon."

Renamon walked past them, a bundle of fresh fish in her hand, "We can worry about it later if she's no immediate threat, right?"

"Yeah," Vincent said, "I'm starving… Feels like I haven't eaten since I got here."

"You haven't."

Vincent paused, "No wonder."

Gatomon sighed, "Idiot."

"Fur ball."

"Hey, hey," Sora said, "Gatomon, that was a bit uncalled for."

"I'm only telling the truth."

"Well, for the sake of peace, lie for a while, okay?"

"okay, fine."

They decided to stop in the woods close to the town to start a fire to cook the fish. Vincent kept looking around, distressed by the strange girl he had met. Renamon offered him a fish, "Here you go."

"Huh? Oh, thanks," he said, biting into it. Still, a distressed look was apparent on his face.

"You're still worried about the Administrators, aren't you?"

"Not quite. It's that girl. She seemed like a good person, but… Aside from the Administrators' case, when else do humans come here and not become Digi-Destined?"

"Not often. It is usually due to some kind of interference during the initial entrance into the Digital World. She was probably brought to the wrong place, keeping her from meeting her intended partner. Somewhere out there, a Digimon was brought back from the Datastream and promised a partner, only to be disappointed and lonely."

Vincent slid closer to her so he could pay better attention, "Datastream?"

"Yes. The flow of data throughout the Digital World that provides everything you see here with the right data. When a non-partnered or formerly-partnered Digimon dies, its data is not reformatted into an egg as most partnered Digimon. Instead, it is cycled back into the Datastream to be used in creating other things in the Digital World, such as new Digimon. Sometimes, when a new Digi-Destined is about to arrive in the Digital World, a Digimon is called back from the Datastream to assist them and become their partner. Perhaps this is why she is alone."

"Poor girl… I thought I had it bad. She doesn't have anyone at all," Vincent said. He realized that she was probably the way she was because of such a lack of friends.

"I wish there was some way we could help her," Gatomon said.

Sora shook his head, "There's nothing we can do if she doesn't want to help herself. Only she can pull herself together."

"Yeah," Vincent said, "She doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with us, anyway."

They ate in silence, each of them trying to forget about the girl and her strange cold stare.

A while later, they made their way to Clockwork City. It was a busy city with lots of things happening at once. Vincent was used to the hustle and bustle, seeing as he was from New York. The others were not too phased by it, either. "Well," Vincent thought, "Since we're all used to big cities, I guess we won't lose each other."

Gatomon covered her ears, "It's so loud here…"

Sora laughed, "Sorry. If we can help it, we won't take long."

They walked around for a while, not finding much useful information. It was going to be a lot harder than it looked.

"Man," Vincent said, "This place is huge. Bigger than where I come from."

He heard a voice from about ten feet from them, "Have you seen any humans around here? Aside from me."

He turned to look and spotted an Administrator. He seemed to be looking for someone. Vincent immediately told the others and had him follow him.

Sora pointed at what appeared to be a night club, "Over there. There should be a lot of people in there."

They ran inside the club and, as Sora had suggested, it was full of Digimon. There were no Administrators inside. Vincent breathed a sigh of relief, "I wonder if they know exactly who they're looking for…"

There was loud rock and heavy metal music playing, which was tormenting Gatomon even more, "Please, Sora, tell me _why_ you thought this was a good idea!"

"Hey, it was the best place we could hide in. What do you want from me?"

Renamon saw the Administrators passing by, "Get on the dance floor and stay hidden."

Vincent raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

She pushed him onto it, "Just _do it_!"

Sora did the same and started dancing as best as he could. Vincent tried several times to get off the dance floor, but Renamon pushed him back on, "The Administrators are passing by, and they might look in the window!"

Vincent stumbled backward as she pushed him, causing him to hit into someone, "Ohh-- Sorry."

He turned to face them and realized that it was the girl from before, "Huh? You!"

The girl sighed, "You…"

"Of all places, I wouldn't expect to find someone like you here."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, uh… Nothing," he saw that an Administrator was peeking inside. He grabbed her shoulder and pushed her behind another dancer, "Get down."

The Administrator, seeing nothing unusual, left. The girl pushed Vincent's hand off of her shoulder, "I'd have been fine. They're not looking for me. Unlike you."

"So… You know about us?"

"Yes."

"And… they know who we are?"

"It seems so. So, what did you think you could do? Wipe out the Administrators?"

"That's the general idea…"

Renamon walked over to them, "Vincent, we should keep going."

"Right. Well, it's been a pleasure meeting you," he offered the girl his hand, "But we have to run. We've got a Focus Tower to liberate."

The girl took it with a minimal amount of enthusiasm and started to walk away. Then something seemed to catch her interest and she turned back to Vincent, "Wait."

"Yeah?"

"Do you… think you can do it?"

Sora shrugged, "Hey, we already beat one of them. And honestly, who wants to live under such a rule? You might as well fight."

"Then… Let me come with you. I may not be a Tamer, but I can fight."

Vincent looked at the others, "What do you guys think?"

"Hey," Sora said, "It sure beats having just one woman who's more than two feet tall around."

Gatomon growled, "Funny…"

"It's fine by me," Renamon said.

"Looks like you're one of us now," Vincent said, smiling, "So, what should we call you?"

The girl bowed her head, "Eri. Just Eri."

"No last names, huh? Oh well. Not a problem for me."

Renamon rose from her seat, "We should get going. I asked around a bit and it looks like the Focus Tower is North of here."

"Really now," Vincent asked, "Who told you that?"

"Tsukaimon, over there," Renamon pointed at a little Digimon with a dark purple upper body and a white lower body (Basically it's a recolor of Patamon). Two dark purple ears sprouted from its head, but they looked a lot more like wings.

Vincent nodded, "Thanks, little guy. Alright, we all ready to go?"

"Looks like it," Sora said. He laughed, "I think Gatomon was ready as soon as we came in."

Gatomon whined, "It's not _my_ fault that my ears are so sensitive."

They left the club and headed for the Focus Tower. The Tsukaimon from the club waited until they left and then flew outside. He landed on top of a tall building that was out of the sun's rays. He addressed an unseen Digimon, "Lord Beelzemon, they're heading for the tower now."

"Good," Beelzemon said, still keeping to the shadows, "They just might do our work for us."

"What should I do?"

"Keep an eye on them, but don't let them see you. I don't know if they're really useful or not yet, but that one kid and his fox defeated one of the Administrators' top generals. Imagine what a group of them can do…"


	5. Leon Telaski

Leon Telaski

This Focus Tower was not half as far from the town as the one on Server, which meant a much easier walk. However, it also meant that it was easier for the Administrators to get there if word got out that the tower was under attack. They had to act quickly or they would be overwhelmed. Vincent thought as they walked, "There's that strange feeling again… Something is definitely watching us."

Renamon nudged him, "Don't let your guard down."

Vincent jumped, "Uh, yeah… Gotcha."

Eri looked at the tower ahead, "So, they're all there, right?"

"Well, not all of them," Sora said, "We don't know exactly where they operate from."

"Only they do," Renamon said.

They reached the tower's exterior. Unlike the last one, this one was guarded by Administrator grunts and Digimon under their control. Vincent scanned them with his Digivice, "Tyranomon… Data type. Looks like they use those as guards. But why only a Champion level?"

Sora scratched the back of his head, "Who knows? Maybe some of the Administrators can only handle up to a certain level."

"That's comforting. So, how are we gonna do this?"

Gatomon raised her paw and clenched it into a fist, "I don't know if running in like maniacs suits your fancy, so I suggest we find a way to sneak in."

Renamon shook her head, "If they learned anything from our first attack, they'd be checking ID's and faces of everyone who went in."

Eri cracked her knuckles, "Let me handle this."

"Are you sure? You don't even have a partner."

"I don't need one," she ran to the left and ducked behind a rock. She watched the troops patrol, seemingly observing every little move and sound they made. A slight grin on her face marked her approval. She took her weapon, a sickle on a long chain, out from her coat pocket. This was a weapon known as the kusarigama. Ninjas from Japan's feudal era used this modification of a simple farmer's tool to their very advantage, and so did Eri. She waited until the next guard passed by her. In an instant, she threw the chain at him, wrapping it around his throat, pulling tightly so he could not scream. She quickly pulled him behind the rock before anyone else could see what was happening. She loosened the chain a bit and pressed the blade against his neck, "You're gonna be _really_ quiet, right?"

The Administrator frantically nodded, not saying a word. Eri snuck back over to the others with the prisoner trembling in fear. Vincent raised an eyebrow, "I figured he'd scream regardless of the danger."

Eri smiled, "He's the wimpiest of every guard here. I got that by watching how he moved and acted."

Sora nodded, "Impressive. You'd make a great assassin."

"Good to know," Eri said. She pointed the blade at the Administrator again, "Now… You're gonna do _exactly_ what I say, or Mr. Artery is gonna have a _nice_ big _hole_ in him. Right?"

The Administrator quickly nodded, "Wh-What do you want me to do?"

"You're going to pretend to take us prisoner and take us to the man in charge. That's right, to the commanding Administrator here."

"O-okay, just please don't kill me," he whimpered. He stood and started to lead them to the tower.

Some of the other Administrators were starting to make comments, "Geez, Giles caught someone? I figured it'd be a cold day in hell before that happened."

They entered the tower and entered the elevator. Once again, they were going to face a high ranking Administrator. Eri whispered to the others, "My usefulness in this is at an end. Now it's up to you."

"Don't worry," Sora said, "We'll take it from here."

They reached the top floor where the Administrator Leon Telaski resided. Unlike Charles, he was a young man, probably in his early twenties. He had silver hair that went down to his shoulders, dark brown eyes that were almost black, and a flowing cape that made him look almost royal. He turned to face the grunt, "What do you want?"

The grunt bowed, "S-Sir, I caught these guys snooping around outside and--"

Leon held out his hand and blasted the grunt with a red beam of energy. He spoke very calmly, "I told you: I am not to be disturbed unless a real threat comes here. Did I not make myself clear enough the first time?"

The grunt writhed in agony on the floor, unable to answer. Leon shot him with another beam, "Well? Answer the question."

He fired a continuous beam into the grunt until, eventually, he died. Leon shook his head, "Pity. Died from the sheer shock of his _agony_," he turned his attention to the "prisoners", "Now, as for you all… Will you be enslaved, or will you cooperate with us?"

Vincent drew his sword, "Enslavement won't work, and we're not gonna work for you."

"My, my… Are you the ones they told me about? The boy and his pet Renamon. Yes, it is you, isn't it? I see you've made some friends, too. Well then, this is all the more beautiful. You can all die here, together."

Sora took out his weapon, a 12 gauge shotgun, and pointed it at Leon, "Don't be so sure about that."

Leon laughed, "How can you pull a trigger when you are," he fired the same red energy beam into Sora, "_writhing in agony_?"

Sora collapsed, every nerve in his body screaming, "Wh-What the _hell_-- AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Vincent charged at him, "Bastard!"

Leon caught his arm as he swung his sword, hitting him with the agony beam at point blank and sending him flying against the back wall. He was just as mobile as Sora was now. Renamon Digivolved and began to attack him with Gatomon, but he was skilled. He moved his hand to the side, gathered energy into it, and then started to spin around in a circle. He released the energy from his hand in the form of a whip, hitting Gatomon and Kyubimon several times and knocking them back. He smiled, "Yes… I can feel your pain… The agony coursing through your body with every hit I land."

Kyubimon stood, "Is it me, or is he just insane?"

Gatomon joined her, "It's not just you, believe me."

Eri was tending to Sora and Vincent, "Hey, come on, you two… I know it hurts, but you have to get up!"

Vincent tried, but immediately collapsed again, "I… can't… move..!"

Sora held his hand out in the direction of his partner, "G-Gatomon… Be careful…"

Leon smiled and raised his hand into the air. A group of orange colored toad-like creatures with black spines on their backs and sharp teeth and claws appeared in front of him. "Meet the Gizamon," he said, "They will send you into a world of agony."

Eri narrowed her eyes, "They're all Rookie level… There's something weird going on."

The Gizamon began to attack Kyubimon and Gatomon with their Spiral Edge attack, each of them curling into a ball and spinning at high speeds, throwing themselves at them. Kyubimon batted most of them away easily, not taking much damage, "Is this some kind of joke?"

Gatomon raised her fists, "No one's laughing!"

Leon began to laugh, "Oh, I am. For one simple reason," he fired his agony beam toward them, but it hit one of the Gazimon. It traveled to each of the Gazimon, which had formed a circle around Kyubimon and Gatomon. The beams from each of the Gazimon converged to the middle, hitting Kyubimon and Gatomon. Leon laughed, "Fools. Never underestimate the ability of a lower level, even if it is an ability only attainable through death."

The Gizamon all died and separated into data. Kyubimon and Gatomon stood. Leon's brow furrowed, "What…"

Kyubimon growled, "Is… that all you've got?"

"Hmph. No, it is not," Leon said, charging his agony beam again. The a thought occurred to him, and he dispersed it. He laughed, "I have a better idea. What kind of pain is more painful than physical pain?"

Kyubimon prepared herself, "What?"

Leon snapped his fingers, and a familiar Digimon with a pointed hat, a cape, and a golden staff appeared. "Wizardmon," Kyubimon and Gatomon shouted at the same time.

Wizardmon looked down, "I…"

"Wizardmon," Leon said, "Destroy these meddling pests. I will not waste my energy on these weaklings."

Wizardmon nodded and pointed his staff at them, "I am sorry, you two. I work with the Administrators."

Kyubimon growled and fired a Fox Tail Inferno at him, "But why!"

Wizardmon dodged the attack and knocked Kyubimon against the wall, "I can't tell you why. I have a reason, although I doubt you would see it as a good one if I could tell you."

Gatomon leapt at him, "You're not the Wizardmon I remember!"

Wizardmon fired a magical energy beam out of his staff, sending her flying in the other direction. Kyubimon, seeing that he was distracted, pounced on him from behind and blasted him with the blue flames from her tails, collapsing from exhaustion and de-Digivolving. He flew back and landed in front of Leon, struggling to stand. Leon grunted, "You are _useless_," he hit Wizardmon with his energy whip and threw him against a wall. He started to charge an immense agony beam in his hand, "Goodbye, you pathetic excuse for a Digimon."

He was about to fire it when a blade stuck deep into his shoulder, making him fire it into the ceiling. He turned around and saw Eri holding the chain to her kusarigama. He cringed as she withdrew the blade, but the pain only made him happy, "What a brave little girl you are…"

Eri threw the blade again, but this time Leon caught it and threw it to the side. He blasted her with an agony beam, knocking her to the floor. He walked up to her and started to charge a much larger beam into his hand, "I will kill you first for that underhanded move. First rule in the Digital World: Luck does not favor the bold, because there is no such thing as luck. Only probability. And in your case… extreme agony to the death."

Leon fired the beam, the cracking negative energies flying toward her quickly. In a flash, Wizardmon jumped in front of it and held out his staff. He growled as the energy started to push him back. The beam exploded, sending Wizardmon and Eri flying against the wall. Leon started walking toward them, "Poor Wizardmon… Are you trying to die _again_?"

Gatomon gathered herself and jumped in front of Wizardmon and Eri. With a feral growl, she leapt at Leon and punched him in the face, sending him flying backward toward the window. He stopped himself right before he crashed through the glass, "Filthy feline… I'll--"

Gatomon leapt at him and swung her fist again, "Lightning Claw!"

Leon crashed through the window, falling the full ten stories of the tower. He landed with a sickening thud and cracking sound. He coughed, "Th-The… _pain_… And the… darkness…"

His digital armor vanished and his eyes closed. He was dead. Gatomon collapsed, "Damn… Administrators…"

Everyone was immediately relieved from the pain from Leon's attacks. Vincent stood and went to Renamon's aid, "Hey, you ok?"

"Yes," she said, "Just… very tired."

Sora went to Gatomon and picked her up, "Hey. You did great."

She smiled, "Thanks, Sora…"

Renamon turned to Wizardmon, "So… Why did you do it, huh? Why did you join them?"

Wizardmon stood, "I… I cannot tell you."

Renamon advanced on him, "You had better tell us for your sake!"

Eri stepped in front of him, "Don't hurt him! He… protected me. I don't think he's a bad guy…"

Renamon growled, "He's an Administrator sympathizer."

Wizardmon shook his head, "I assure you that I am not. I am working here undercover. For whom, I cannot say, for I am sworn to secrecy, but they are noble Digimon. I have had to do some terrible things, but they are all correctable, I promise."

Renamon relaxed, "Wizardmon…"

Gatomon looked at Wizardmon for a long time, recalling the image of him protecting Eri. "It's just like," she thought, "When he protected Kari and I… But is it really him?"

Eri took Wizardmon's hands, "Thank you for protecting me, Wizardmon. I am in your debt."

Wizardmon shook his head, "Hardly. It was you who diverted his attack against me, was it not? If anything, my saving you was repaying what you had done for me. Not to imply that I would not have done it anyway."

Eri finally let herself smile happily instead of sadistically, "Thank you."

A strange light appeared in front of Eri and started to float toward her. She held her hands out, "What is…"

The light grew brighter and quickly vanished, leaving a Digivice in its place. Renamon looked at it, "It's just like Vincent's… If you are a Digi-Destined, then who is your partner?"

The Digivice's screen started glowing, and a beam of light shone out of it and onto Wizardmon. His wounds healed and the light dimmed. Eri looked at Wizardmon, "Does this mean…"

Gatomon smiled, "Looks like he's your new partner, Eri."

Wizardmon looked at her, "What?"

"That's what that means. You've been chosen as Eri's partner, Wizardmon."

Eri looked away, "Well, I won't force you to be my partner."

Wizardmon thought for a moment and then shook his head, "Who would I be to deny a Digi-Destined in the making a chance to shine?"

Eri smiled, "Then I am honored to be your partner."

There was a commotion downstairs and the elevator came up. The doors opened, revealing a being made entirely out of flame. He sounded very excited as he spoke, "Is it you who have saved us from those horrible Administrators?"

Vincent nodded, "Yeah. Why?"

"Well, I figured we could show you our thanks, of course! My friend in the city owns an inn, and you all look tired. I'll get you all a free night and meal for saving us. How does that sound?"

Vincent laughed, "Sounds great, uh…"

"Meramon. With that aside, let me accompany you back to town."

Meramon convinced his friend to give them a free night at the inn as he had promised, seeing as they had saved them from the Administrators. They slept in pairs of two, each human paired with their Digimon partner. Vincent sat on the window seat, "Hey, Renamon…"

The fox looked up at him, "Yes?"

"You know what you said about Eri and the supposed interruption of her being united with her partner?"

"Mhm."

"Well… Do you think… maybe fate brought them back together?"

Renamon sat up and walked over to him. She sat on the seat next to him, "Leon said that there is no such thing as anything but probability in the Digital World. I, for one, don't believe a word of that. The probability of them ever finding each other was slim to none, and yet they still were reunited."

"But what if Wizardmon is just… well, you know… a replacement?"

"The Digital World does not replace what is lost. It can either give it back or not. That is why a dead Digimon comes back as the same Digimon, unless it is reborn anew."

"I see."

"Why do you let things trouble you so? Things happen the way they do for a reason. I believe that Wizardmon is truly the Digimon that was meant to be Eri's partner."

Vincent smiled, "I guess you're right. And even if he wasn't, who cares?"

"Exactly," Renamon stood again, "I'm going to sleep. I suggest you do the same if you want to be well rested tomorrow."

Gatomon sat on her bed, deep in thought. Sora came into the room and sat next to her, "Hey, you ok?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine. I'm just thinking, that's all," she said, sighing.

"About Wizardmon?"

She nodded, "I just can't shake the feeling that it's really him… Is it stupid for me to be this obsessed over something like this?"

"No, of course not," Sora said, "I'd be the same way."

Gatomon leaned against him, "The only thing that gets me is… the fact that he lost his memory, yet he acts like himself. I think he remembers more than he says."

"Sometimes people who forget things are reluctant to remember them."

"But why?"

Sora shrugged, "There are a lot of reasons. Fear of what you might find out, stubbornness, things like that."

Gatomon remembered how Wizardmon had protected her and Kari. His condition was not a pretty sight after Myotismon's attack, "I guess so."

"Hey, come on," he scratched her ears a bit, "Don't be so down."

Gatomon smiled, "Alright, alright. It doesn't mean I'm not gonna think about it, though."

"Well, I can't stop that."

Eri sat reading one of the many books the inn had available to the customers. She was not completely adept at reading Digi Code, but she was well enough at it that she could read most things. "You know," she said, glancing up at Wizardmon, "For a second, back in the tower… I thought we were all going to die."

Wizardmon looked at her, "That was sudden. Is there something on your mind?"

"Not really, it's just that this is the first time I've actually considered dying as a threat."

"So you would have died prior to today without much thought about trying to survive?"

Eri shrugged, "I guess so."

Wizardmon shook his head, "I thought humans had some kind of built in self preservation…"

"Most of them do."

"And you?"

"I have something else that replaces mine."

"What is it?"

Eri paused, "I… Actually, I'm not really sure what it is."

"If you don't know yourself, then I can't be expected to," Wizardmon said jokingly.

"Well, I think I know myself."

"Good to know," he stood looking out the window, "Tomorrow starts my first full day as a partner… To be honest, I never really imagined myself to be cut out for this."

Eri joined him, "Then what did you think you were cut out for?"

He laughed, although he did not quite seem to think that it was funny, "The scattered data that I once was."

"You mean…"

"I think it's similar to what humans call death. Yes, come to think of it, it is quite like that."

"You were dead?"

"For a while. My memories are not all in place. I only remember fragments and… Her."

"Who?"

"That Gatomon… Why she is so familiar, I don't know. I try not to think about it."

Eri sighed, "Looks like you've got a lot to think about. There's one thing we have in common. We all have our inner demons, I guess."

Wizardmon put his hand on her shoulder, "We'll work them out. Together."

Eri nodded, "Thanks. Just keep trying to remember, ok?"

"I will."

The group slept through the night, and for a few hours at least, they were at peace.


	6. Return to Server

-1Return to Server

Vincent's Digivice's beeping woke him up the next morning. He groggily picked it up and turned on the communication link, "Datamon, what do you _waaaaaaant_?"

"Oh, dear," Datamon said, "Did I wake you up?"

"Does it show?"

"I am terribly sorry, but there is some trouble stirring in Server."

Renamon leaned over to look, "What's going on?"

"There are several evil Digimon attacking Mainframe City. The city's security force is holding out for now, but they need all the help they can get. I implore you, come back to Server immediately and help us!"

Vincent grunted, "One problem: Transportation."

"That won't be a problem. Just wait at the dock and I will send you aerial transport."

"Ya know, you could have done that in the first--"

"Don't be ridiculous! Do you think that any Digimon who cannot Digivolve to a high enough level would want to stick around while you fight Administrators?"

"Whatever. We'll tell you when we get there," he closed the comm. channel, "Damn overgrown trash can…"

Renamon sighed, "Let's go and wake the others."

Vincent knocked on Sora's door, "Hey, wake up."

"What the hell for," he heard from inside.

"We're going back to Server. There's trouble brewing in Mainframe."

"Can't I have a cup of coffee first?"

"Dammit, get it on the go!"

"Fine…"

Renamon knocked on Eri's door, "Are you two awake yet?"

Eri came to the door rubbing one eye, "Even you Digimon must believe in some kind of sleeping in…"

"We need to go now. Datamon needs our help."

"Alright, alright."

They all got ready and headed for the dock. There were several Administrators watching the streets, but they avoided them because of the sheer number of people in the city. Vincent stretched his arms into the air, "I wonder what kind of transportation Datamon was referring to."

"Probably some kind of flying Digimon," Renamon said. She was fully expecting Datamon to screw something up.

Then, just as soon as she had thought that, a shadow of something flying through the air appeared. Upon coming into view, they saw that it was a large horse with dark blue wings and a red mask over his face with a horn sticking out of it. Renamon breathed a sigh of relief, "Good, he didn't send something stupid."

"Who's that?"

"Unimon. He's friendly, don't worry."

Unimon landed in front of them, "Greetings, everyone. Datamon sent me to pick you guys up. Hmm… Looks like there's quite a bit for me to carry, but that's ok."

Vincent tilted his head to the side, "Can we all even fit on your back?"

Renamon smiled, "Don't worry about that. I can carry you, Vincent."

"Hey, look, I know you can run fast and all, and I respect that… But running on water doesn't seem to be on your ability list."

"No, stupid! I can Digivolve!"

Vincent smiled sheepishly, "Right… My bad."

Renamon Digivolved into Kyubimon, and they all embarked for Server. Kyubimon called over to Unimon, "So, what's going on in Mainframe?"

"A whole bunch of evil Digimon are attacking everyone! It's insane! They just came out of nowhere, and don't seem to be under the control of the Administrators."

Sora rested his head on his hand, "What reason would they have to attack, though?"

"They seem a bit too organized for a bunch of simple criminals. There must be something much larger going on here."

"Well," Wizardmon said, "Catch one alone and we can beat the answers out of them."

Eri sighed, "He's already sounding like me…"

Vincent laughed, "No wonder he was chosen to be your partner."

They reached the continent and headed for Mainframe. A group of what looked like flying blue serpents with red wings and skull helmets swooped in front of them. Sora checked his Digivice, "Airdramon. What's a Vaccine type doing destroying things?"

"Different Digimon do different things," Gatomon said, "Type doesn't really matter these days."

The Airdramon rushed past them and began to attack from behind. The leader of the flock shouted, "Everyone together! Spinning Needle!"

The group of Airdramon fired multiple spear-like energy blasts from their mouths at Unimon and Kyubimon. The two Digimon separated and began to intercept their attackers. "Hold on," Unimon said, getting behind one of the Airdramon. He opened his mouth and fired a yellow energy ball at it, "Aerial Attack!"

The energy slammed against the Airdramon, knocking it from the air. Kyubimon started to gather heat energy into her tails, "Ready Vincent?"

"Not much I can do, but--"

"I meant are you ready to hold on?"

"Hold on? What are you gonna do?"

"You still scared of heights?"

"I don't like the sound of this…"

Kyubimon did a midair somersault to lose her pursuing Airdramon. She fired her attack at it, "Fox Tail Inferno!"

The fireballs flew past the Airdramon, several of them striking it and forcing it to land. Vincent let his head lean forward, "Don't do that again…"

"Sorry, but would you rather plummet to your death?"

"You make an interesting point…"

The Airdramon flock leader began to roar and flap his wings wildly. The clouds overhead started to darken, and lightning began to strike everywhere. Unimon growled, "Damn. Flying is a _really_ bad idea in this weather!"

An Airdramon swooped through the air at them, readying its attack. Wizardmon pointed his staff at it, "Magical Game!"

The beam of magical energy hit the Airdramon in the face, bouncing off of its skull helmet. It laughed and fired its Spinning Needle at them. Unimon weaved and dodged through the spears, but one of them hit him in the side, "Ah! Damn it all, one more direct hit like that and I'm down for the count… And so are you guys!"

Kyubimon flew after the Airdramon that had hit Unimon and downed it with her Fox Tail Inferno. She flew up next to Unimon, "We're severely outnumbered."

"You're telling me… We need to get to the ground!"

They made their rush toward the city, and the Airdramon followed, bombarding them with their attacks. An blue insect-like creature sped past them and knocked a few of the Airdramon to the ground. It let the other Airdramon pursue it and then unleashed its attack, "Electro Shocker!"

The giant ball of electricity hit all of the remaining Airdramon, sending them plummeting to the ground. Vincent watched as the insect Digimon returned to the ground, "What is that?"

"Kabuterimon," Eri said, "He's the first one I've seen in a while."

"Um… If it's ok for me to ask, how long have you been here?"

"A little over a year."

Vincent cringed, "Geez… And I thought four days was bad…"

"Don't worry about it," Eri said. She looked at the ground where Unimon and Kyubimon were landing, "Looks like we have a welcoming party."

They landed and were greeted by Datamon, Centarumon, and a bunch of other Digimon that were fighting the invaders. Centarumon approached them, "Good to see you are here. Things are not looking too well for us here in Mainframe."

Kyubimon de-Digivolved, "Well, that's why we're here. You can count on us."

"Splendid," Datamon said, "Oh, and I have something for you all," he handed Sora a computer chip, "Install this and copy the program to the others' Digivices. Seeing as Vincent's Digivice already contains a special program chip, I figured you'd be next in line."

Sora did as instructed, "So, uh… What exactly is this new program?"

"It is an empowering program that will aid you when the time comes. There is a reason that you were the one to receive this chip in your Digivice, Sora."

"And that reason is..?"

"Oh, are all of you humans the same? Don't you know that most things in life need to be found out, and not just told to you?"

"Whatever. Thanks for the help," he looked out toward the city, "So… What is the main threat here?"

"There is a Digimon known as SkullSatamon sending his minions through the city. We have to get rid of all of the invaders before Mainframe is reduced to rubble!"

Vincent drew his sword, "Well then, let's get going, shall we?"

They went into the inner parts of the city where the inhabitants were battling the invaders. A group of Gazimon and Mushroomon surrounded them. One of the Gazimon laughed, "Looks like we've got some humans to rough up!"

Vincent raised his sword, "Really now? You're a bunch of Rookies. We're two Champions, a Rookie, and three humans with weapons. You really think you can take us on?"

"What! Who do you think you are!"

Renamon prepared to attack, "We're the liberators of two Focus Towers."

"W-Wait, _you_ defeated those Administrators?"

"Why," Sora asked, loading his gun, "You scared now?"

The Gazimon would not let go of its tough-guy act, "Scared! We'll show you the meaning of fear! Electric Stun Blast!"

The group dodged the attack and swiftly defeated the arrogant Digimon. Gatomon looked around, "That was easy enough. Any more?"

Two large red dinosaur-like Digimon came down the street and glared at the group of humans and Digimon. They had green spines on their backs and large blue eyes. Vincent recognized them, "More Tyranomon. I guess they're pretty common."

The two Tyranomon started to attack, shooting fire balls from their mouths, "Fire Blast!"

Luckily for the Tamer group, their aim was a bit off, so they were only shaken. Renamon Digivolved and joined Wizardmon and Gatomon to defeat the menacing monsters. In a battle of three against two, obviously the one side with more numbers wins. Especially if they are smarter. Unfortunately for the Tyranomon, they were not very smart. They were quickly felled, dispersing into data as they collapsed from the counter attack. A dark shadow appeared in the sky above them, revealing a skeletal Digimon with red bones, black armor with light blue metal gloves, black wings, and a brown and red staff with what looked like a claw clutching a yellow jewel on the top and a hook on the bottom. The Digimon spoke, "Humans and their partners! Cease your meddling at once or I will be forced to destroy you!"

Eri growled, "And who, exactly, are you?"

"I am SkullSatamon, commander of this little… uprising."

Vincent grinned, "How convenient. You're the one we need to kill."

SkullSatamon laughed, "Kill _me_! Impossible!"

Kyubimon spat, "They always think they're invincible until they're _dead_!"

Gatomon, Kyubimon, and Wizardmon rushed the evil Digimon, throwing multiple attacks at him. Kyubimon was first, "Fox Tail Inferno!"

SkullSatamon spun his staff around, deflecting the shots toward Wizardmon and Gatomon. He struck Kyubimon with his staff, "Skull Hammer!"

Kyubimon was sent flying to the side, but she recovered. Vincent growled and scanned SkullSatamon, "He's… an Ultimate level! Guys, be careful!"

Wizardmon tried using speed to confuse him, zipping around and teleporting to random places around SkullSatamon. He pointed his staff at him and fired his attack, "Magical Game!"

The blast hit SkullSatamon in the back of the head, knocking him forward as Gatomon leapt in, "Lightning Claw!"

The punch sent SkullSatamon spinning through the air, but he quickly recovered, "You've asked for it! Bone Blaster!"

A bolt of lightning jolted out of his staff and hit Wizardmon and Gatomon, paralyzing them. He started to advance on them when Kyubimon tackled him and threw him to the side. Her body started to erupt into flames, "Dragon Wheel!"

The flame dragon hit SkullSatamon, but he was not done yet. "Cursed Digi-Destined," he growled, firing the same paralyzing attack at Kyubimon, "I'll crush you all!"

Vincent, Sora, and Eri entered the battle, seeing as their Digimon could not move. Sora went to Gatomon's side, "Hey, wake up!"

SkullSatamon watched as they went to their partners' aid and grinned, "Would you all like to die together?"

"None of us are dying today except for you," Sora shouted, charging SkullSatamon and blasting him with his shotgun at point blank. The bullets themselves did little damage, but the force from the shot sent him flying back ten feet. SkullSatamon rose and struck at Sora, "Skull Hammer!"

Gatomon appeared from the side and punched him into a building, "I don't _think_ so!"

Sora sighed with relief, "Thanks. That was a bit close."

"Any time, Sora."

SkullSatamon pulled himself out of the building. He was furious. He charged at Gatomon and bashed her into a sign post. When Sora tried to interfere, he simply kicked him to the side, still focused on destroying Gatomon, "Curiosity is going to have to wait, because I'm killing this cat."

He raised his staff into the air and swung it down. Sora cringed, "Gatomon!"

A bright light erupted from his Digivice, which shone onto Gatomon and deflected SkullSatamon's attack. A voice came from the Digivice's speakers, "New program activating."

Gatomon rose and held her arms out to her sides, "This feeling…"

SkullSatamon repeatedly tried to bash her with his staff, but it kept bouncing off of the barrier that had been placed around her. The light grew brighter, pushing SkullSatamon back. Gatomon's body started to grow and shape itself into a more human-looking figure. Eight feathery wings appeared on her back, white armor and clothing appeared on her body, and a metal face guard with two small wings adorning it slipped over her eyes. A white glove with two wings protruding from the wrist appeared on her left hand. To complete the transformation, a purple scarf entwined around her arms and floated above her head. "Gatomon Digivolves to… Angewomon!"

Sora was dumbstruck, "Cute little Gatomon turns into… _that_? Wow…"

Kyubimon looked up at Angewomon, "So, it is true, then… Angewomon, one of the two angels of the Digital World, still exists."

Wizardmon stood slowly, trying to rid himself of the paralysis, "She is just as stunning as I remember…"

Eri looked at him, "You've seen her before?"

He put his hand on his forehead, "I… I don't remember where, but…"

Angewomon floated before SkullSatamon, "Evil Digimon, you have destroyed enough."

SkullSatamon growled, "Oh really?"

"You have brought chaos to this city and killed many innocent people. Today, I am your judge. My power is the last you will ever face."

"You goody-goods were always too arrogant for your own good! Take this," he rushed at her with his staff ready, "Skull Hamm--"

Angewomon knocked him away with a blast of holy energy and pointed her left hand at him. The two wing decorations enlarged to create what looked like a bow, and that was just what it was. Angewomon created an arrow made of light, pulled back on an invisible bow string, and fired, "Celestial Arrow!"

The arrow hit SkullSatamon in the chest, filling his body with holy energy. Being the evil Digimon that he was, SkullSatamon disintegrated from the sheer holiness of the attack. Angewomon de-Digivolved and collapsed, exhausted. Sora came to her aid and picked her up, "Gatomon… You never told me you were an angel."

Gatomon smiled, "But Sora… I thought I was always your angel."

Sora laughed, "Yeah. I guess you are."

They all gathered themselves enough so that they all could at least walk, and started their way back to Datamon and Centarumon.

A bird-like Digimon stood atop one of the buildings, unnoticed by the residents of the city. He stood like a human would, standing at around seven feet tall. His feathers were black, and he wore purple chest armor and bracers. He also wore white martial artist pants and displayed two swords sheathed at his waist, one on each side. He spoke to the shadow behind him, "Say, Beelzemon… The two of us could have easily taken this town by ourselves. Why did you send SkullSatamon and his army?"

Beelzemon, who still concealed himself in the shadows, "Ah, Karatenmon, you fail to see the big picture."

"You mean… You do not want the town?"

"Not _yet_, my friend, not yet. I need more power before I attempt to take over this city," he held out his hand and drew in SkullSatamon's data, absorbing it, "Once I get enough of this… Whether it be from Digimon or Administrator, I will gain power. The Administrators are the big catches, the ones that I need. Why do you think I allow these Digi-Brats to live, anyway?"

"You do realize, though, that they grow stronger with each battle? One of them has already reached Ultimate level."

"I'm fully aware of that Karatenmon. But by the time they all hit their Mega forms, I will be way out of their league. I will transcend beyond Mega level with the powers of the Administrators in my hands. Just you wait, Digi-Destined… You'll find out soon enough."


	7. Eri Yamagata

-1Eri Yamagata

Eri ran down what seemed to be an endless hallway. She did not consciously know what she was running from, but in the depths of her mind she knew that she had to get away. The hallway was dark, lit only by a dim, unseen light that came from seemingly nowhere. The hallway came to an end. There was nothing but a wall in front of her. She was trapped. She drew her weapon and began to swing it around, gathering momentum for an attack. Her pursuer was cloaked in a shadow, which only its glowing red eyes showed through. It simply walked toward her, occasionally phasing out of reality and appearing closer to her when it returned seconds later. In a fit of desperation, she hurled the blade at the monster, sticking it into its neck. The thing cringed and fell forward, the shadow dispersing. Eri recognized the figure that once hid beneath the shadow. A man looking to be in his forties. She rushed to his side, "F-Father!"

The man looked up at her, "Akumako…"

"No, father! I…"

She heard another voice, "Eri! Eri, wake up!"

She sat up in her bed, panting and gasping in a cold sweat, "What…"

Wizardmon was sitting next to her, "Are you alright? It looked like you were having quite a nightmare."

"I… I'm okay, Wizardmon. I'm…"

Wizardmon put his hand on her shoulder, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Eri nodded, "Alright. In my dream, I was running from… something. I don't know what it was. Some kind of monster, I think."

"What did it look like?"

"It was just a shadow until… Until I killed it. Then it looked like my father. And he… called me…"

"Called you what?"

"Akumako… 'Devil child'. It's what my mother always called me," Eri closed her hand into a fist.

Wizardmon's brow furrowed, "Did your mother… dislike you?"

Eri let out a grunt that could have been a laugh, "That's the understatement of the year."

"But why?"

"It's a long story. I doubt you would be interested."

"No, please, if you want to say something then don't hesitate. We should know as much about each other as possible."

"Well… Alright then, but promise me one thing."

"Of course."

"Don't run away when you hear what I am about to tell you. Please."

Wizardmon bowed his head, "You have my word."

"Alright," Eri sighed and began, "It must have been around nine years ago. I was only seven, still in third grade in my school. People would always make fun of me because of my eyes."

"Not many humans have red eyes?"

"No. And they made sure I knew that. They called me things like 'Red eyed monster' and 'Eri Blood Eye'. I always tried to ignore it, but it always built up and I'd end up crying in the middle of class. Then they'd laugh at me and call me a crybaby," Eri put her hand on her face, "But that was only the beginning."

"What happened?"

"One day I was walking home, just as I normally would, and I felt a really cold wind, and a strange feeling filled my head. Then, from behind me, I heard a scream. When I turned around I saw one of my classmates… lying on the ground… with a large slash mark on his neck," she shut her eyes tight, "They blamed me for it. I didn't have any weapons, and a murder weapon was never found… The police never blamed me, but my classmates did… And my mother… At first she thought nothing of it, thinking that it was some kind of accident. But when it kept happening, and only to the children who made fun of me, she started to believe that I was really killing them. She started calling me Akumako, cursing me for ever being born."

"What kind of parent does that to their child?"

"My mother, apparently. My father, though… He defended me. He and my mother always got into fights about me. It was terrible to hear them screaming at each other every night, but it was also comforting to know that someone was on my side."

"So what happened?

"One night, when I was about twelve years old I was sitting at home while my mother was at work, when a police officer came to the door. I asked him what was wrong and he asked where my mother was. I told him that she was at work, and he knelt down to me and said, 'I'm sorry, girl, but your father is dead'. He told me that they found his car burning on the side of the road. They said that there were trace amounts of alcohol in some parts of the car, and a broken bottle under the seat. My father did not drink, but he _did_ smoke. The officer said that the fire started when he was putting out a cigarette in the ash tray."

"How did the alcohol get in the car?"

"The police didn't find any fingerprints or anything aside from my father's… But I think my mother did it. Think about it. If she really thought I was a devil, then she must have thought that my father was one, too, for defending me."

Wizardmon laid a comforting hand on hers, "It's hard to believe that someone would do something like that."

"Well, believe it, because I think it's true."

"I have no doubt that you're telling the truth. I did not know that you had such a horrible life…"

"Well, you couldn't have unless I told you like I did now."

"You're right. Well, then let's help each other."

"Hmm?"

"You said you'd help me recover my memories, so I'll help you get over yours. And who knows, maybe we can figure out who really killed those people."

Eri smiled, "Thanks, but… I doubt that whatever did it is going to be easy to find."

"No one ever said that life was easy."

Eri looked down at the floor, "I guess you're right," she took her Digivice off of her belt and looked at it, "I kinda find it strange… that I was picked to go to the Digital World over countless other people."

"It is only you who can allow me to Digivolve when the time comes."

"How do I do that, though? I don't know to work this thing. How Sora and Vincent do it is beyond me…"

"You will know when the time comes. It is not something either you or I can control at first, but it will come in time."

Eri nodded, "I hope so."

Wizardmon smiled and patted her on the shoulder, "Try not to think too hard."

Eri pulled Wizardmon into an embrace, "Thank you, Wizardmon. You're one of the first people who hasn't pushed me away."

Wizardmon blushed, being the shy Digimon that he was, but returned the embrace, "It's what I'm here for, Eri."


	8. Enter Katsu

-1Enter Katsu: Administrator, or Misguided Soul?

The group of Tamers met Datamon in the main room of his lab. As usual, he was glued to the computer until they got there. When they arrived, he faced them and greeted them warmly, "Good morning, everyone! I trust that you all had a good night's sleep?"

They all gave their own gesture of agreeing. Even Eri agreed, deciding to keep last night's incident between herself and Wizardmon. Datamon continued, "Splendid! Now, onto the matter at hand: The Administrators seem to have become more active lately. This is obviously going to be bad for us, seeing as security in the remaining towers will be tighter and harder to avoid now. This means that you are going to have to fight more head-on battles now."

Vincent raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, and?"

"Well, as you all may have guessed, that program that I gave you yesterday was a Digivolution program. Obviously, this program will only activate at the right time, but it is still a valuable program, nonetheless. In all honesty, it is all the help I can offer you now."

Sora pat Gatomon on the head, "Well, she's demonstrated how valuable it is, so it's not any small favor."

"I am glad you all understand. Now, we think that the next Administrator that will be vulnerable will be on the Terminal continent. Luckily, I can teleport you straight there with the same device that Vincent came through when he first entered the Digital World," Datamon motioned toward the teleporter in the back of the room. He turned his attention to three large clear capsules next to it, "However, it is out of energy right now. I have been recently been teleporting Digimon to and from other locations in the Digital World to scout out Administrator movements, and it has taken its toll on the energy reserves. So, therefore, I will have to let it charge for a while. I'd say about half an hour would do it."

"Great," Vincent said, "More waiting. How boring."

Renamon shrugged, "Half of life involves waiting."

"That's what pisses me off…"

Sora snickered, "Hey, the more time I can put into learning how to work my Digivice, the better," he pressed a few buttons and as he spoke, his voice started to come from Vincent and Eri's Digivices as well. He raised an eyebrow, "Hey, it's like a two-way radio."

"Not bad," Vincent said, "At least we'll always be in touch now."

There was a commotion outside. The guards were yelling, telling someone to stop and identify themselves. They heard a shout, "Out of my way!"

There was the sound of a large machine gun firing and the guards screaming, and then silence. Datamon rushed outside, "What in the blazes?"

The gun fire was heard again and Datamon came scrambling back in, screaming. A tall man wearing a black cloth obscuring his face, leaving only the eyes visible, and a dark robe (it did not look like the Administrators' type) that went down past his ankles. He had black shoulder-length hair and yellow eyes. Two black cat-like ears protruded from his head. He was wielding a Vulcan machine gun; the kind of weapon that is normally attached to a helicopter. He grinned and spoke, "Little Datamon, where did you go? We're not done playing yet."

Vincent and the others stepped in front of Datamon. The man laughed, "More humans, eh? Well then, do you want to die, too?"

Vincent growled, "And who the hell are you?"

"My name? How about this: If you defeat me, then I'll tell you," the man turned and looked back outside, "Oukamon."

A large wolf-like Digimon walked into the room. It had black fur with a red-tipped tail and metal armor on its paws and across its back. The back armor had four large spikes protruding from it. Three red claws protruded from the paw armor. Standing next to her companion, it was easily half his size. Oukamon spoke in a very soft feminine voice, "Are these the kids that he spoke of?"

"Yeah. Let's teach them how to play our game, but don't kill them. We're just testing them. For now."

Oukamon let out a small laugh, "As you wish."

Renamon and the other Digimon stepped in front of their human companions. Renamon got into her fighting stance, "Let's take this outside. We wouldn't want to damage any of the equipment here."

The man started to step back, "Indeed. That would be just plain rude of us."

They all stepped outside. Vincent drew his sword, "I'll take Mr. Bigshot here."

Oukamon growled, "What, will you be fighting, too? I thought the only _brave_ human alive was my Tamer."

"There are plenty. I'm one of them," Vincent leapt at the enemy Tamer, but he had to stop as he brought the Vulcan up to firing position.

"Are you sure," he said, "you want to try that?"

Vincent growled, "Damn!"

Gatomon ran to the side and jumped at the man, "Lightning Claw!"

He dropped his gun and staggered backward, "Damn interloping cat! I'll--"

Vincent leapt in and swung his sword, but the man held his arm up and blocked it with a metal gauntlet that he had not shown before. He counterattacked with a punch from his other hand, which was clad in the same kind of armor. Meanwhile, Renamon and Oukamon were engaged in speed combat. Seeing as they were both quick, they were well matched. However, Oukamon had a few tricks up her sleeve. She stopped short and began to channel energy into her legs, "Sonic Dash!"

She started to circle Renamon with surprising speed. Renamon could barely follow her, "Damn… Where is she!"

Oukamon tackled her from behind slashing with her claws, "Red Claw!"

Renamon staggered forward, turned around, and retaliated, "Wisteria Punch!"

She sent Oukamon flying backward and, shockingly, she staggered to get back up, whimpering. Renamon could not figure out why she was so weak. Sora aimed his Digivice at Oukamon, "There's no information on her… What the hell is she?"

Eri's brow furrowed, "She _is_ a Digimon, right? Why would there be no information on your Digivice?"

Wizardmon shook his head, "This is strange, indeed."

Oukamon stood, "You'll pay for that," she tackled Renamon and drove her teeth into her shoulder, "Quick Fang!"

Renamon screamed and tried to pry her off, but she would not budge. Wizardmon started to gather energy into his hand. When he had concentrated it into a ball, he hurled it at Oukamon, "Thunder Ball!"

Oukamon lost her grip and was sent flying off of Renamon. Wizardmon came to Renamon's Aid and glanced at the battle between Vincent and the strange man. Vincent was swinging his sword quickly, trying to knock him off balance, "You know, you picked a fight with the wrong group of people."

"Oh really," the man said, keeping his grin intact, "Then show me."

Vincent kicked him backward and pursued him, "I _will_!"

The man recovered and sidestepped Vincent's attack, punching him in the gut and making him cough up blood. He grinned and pulled his fist back, preparing a strong hit. Gatomon jumped in from behind and punched him in the back of the head, "Hey, this isn't over yet!"

The man growled, "You're getting annoying, hair ball!"

Sora ran over to the battle, "Hey, didn't your mom ever say not to pick on people who were smaller than you?"

"Not really. I never knew her. Thanks for asking, though."

"Why does listening to you talk piss me off…"

"Probably because you know that I'm going to beat you," he jumped at Sora, swinging his fists wildly. Sora kept dodging, but one hit caught him in the face and knocked him back.

Renamon and Oukamon were at a standstill, both of them breathing heavily, though it looked like Oukamon was a lot more hurt. Renamon got back into her fighting stance, "It seems that your speed is all you have going for you. You're as weak as a twig."

Oukamon growled, "Well then… It's time for an upgrade, don't you think?"

Her Tamer's Digivice began to emit a dark red light that began to encompass her. Her body began to grow larger, her armor disappearing and her skin becoming thick and leathery. Four red eyes appeared on top of her head and her mouth became lined with large, jagged teeth. She growled and spoke, "Oukamon Digivolves to… Devidramon!"

Vincent finally stood himself up, "Wh-What..? Oh, hell no."

Eri stepped back, "A Champion level… We have two Champions in our group, so we'll be ok, right?"

Wizardmon stood in front of her, "Never underestimate your opponent. Gatomon and I may be the same level as her, but some Digimon are stronger than others."

Renamon went back to Vincent and helped him stabilize himself, "You have to help me Digivolve."

Vincent nodded, "Got it."

His Digivice began to shine, and Renamon Digivolved to Kyubimon. She joined Gatomon and Wizardmon, preparing to face their opponent. Devidramon snarled, making her eyes glow. The other Digimon were paralyzed. Gatomon struggled, but she could not move, "Oh, no I forgot..!"

Devidramon laughed, "Fools. You will all die!"

Eri ran to the side and hurled her kusarigama at Devidramon, the blade sticking into her flesh. The large beast growled and turned its attention to her, "Wretched girl!"

Wizardmon, now able to move again, flew up at Devidramon and blasted her with energy, "Magical Game!"

Devidramon recoiled and struck at Wizardmon, "Crimson Claw!"

Wizardmon dodged and started to attack again, but the second claw hit him to the side. Kyubimon flew in, "Fox Tail Inferno!"

The fireballs hit Devidramon, knocking her back. Gatomon jumped onto Kyubimon's back and leapt at Devidramon, pulling her fist back, "Lightning Claw!"

Devidramon fell backward and quickly stood herself back up, "Katsu, I'm outnumbered!"

The man, whose name apparently was Katsu, nodded, "Right. Let's go."

Devidramon flew into the air and landed next to Katsu, grabbing his gun in one of her claws. Katsu climbed onto her shoulder, "Very good, Digi-Destined. We shall meet again."

Wizardmon growled and flew at him, "This unprovoked attack will not go unpunished!"

Katsu held out his Digivice, firing a beam of dark red energy at Wizardmon, "Reverse Digivolve!"

Wizardmon was thrown backward and hit the ground hard, reverting to his Rookie form, Candlemon. As the name suggested, he looked like a candle in a golden candlestick, with two arms, red eyes, a wick, and a flame atop his head that had a face of its own. Devidramon leapt into the air and flew away. Vincent sheathed his sword, "Katsu, huh…"

"Who the hell was he," Sora asked, rubbing the sore spot on his face, "That really hurt."

Eri went to Candlemon's aid, "Wizardmon! What… happened to you?"

Candlemon stood himself up, "Oh, I seem to have de-Digivolved."

Eri tried to keep herself from laughing, "Well, at least it's…"

"What?"

"Kinda cute," she giggled.

Candlemon sighed, "Oi…"

Gatomon looked up at where Devidramon flew, "That was strange, though… He used an attack that a very powerful evil Digimon used back when I was with my first partner."

Sora picked her up, "Which Digimon?"

"Apocalymon. He tried to destroy the Digital World a long time ago."

Kyubimon de-Digivolved, "Apocalymon? I thought he was a myth."

"Not at all. It was the original Digi-Destined, who I fought with, who defeated him. Reverse Digivolve was one of his abilities."

Sora crossed his arms, "Hmm… Well, whoever he is, he's a Tamer, too."

"He's nothing like us," Vincent said, "He seems to fight for sheer enjoyment. He attacked the people here at the lab for no reason. Even his Digivice looked corrupted."

Renamon began to check Vincent's injuries, "He is probably under the control or employ of an evil Digimon, seeing as he did not look like an Administrator."

"I'm fine," he said, "But yeah, you're probably right."

Datamon peered out through the door, "Is he gone?"

"Yes, you cowardly gumball machine, he's gone," Sora said, "Geez. Some help you were, running off like that."

"Well, I uh… You see, um…"

"Yeah. No excuse. What a shock."

Datamon cleared his throat, "I was preparing the teleporter and protecting the vital instruments in my lab, I'll have you know!"

Vincent walked past him, "You were inside while we were fighting outside. There was no one to protect them _from_."

Datamon growled and walked inside. Renamon sighed, "You're both being terribly rude. Datamon is not a fighter. He's a scientist."

Vincent and Sora mumbled their apology and waited for Datamon to activate the teleporter. Datamon went over to the computer and started typing, "Alright, if you would all stand on the panel there."

They all complied and stood on the large circular panel that sat in the middle of the teleporter's machinery. Sora raised an eyebrow, "You sure this is safe?"

"Of course it's safe. I've been using it for days now! Now, here we go. Initiating energy transfer."

Arcs of energy started to circulate through the wires of the machine, and the panel started to glow. Vincent looked a bit nervous, "Datamon…"

"Don't panic. It is supposed to happen."

Renamon put her hand on Vincent's shoulder, "Relax."

Vincent nodded and calmed himself down. Datamon hit a few more keys, "Energy transfer complete. Now beginning portal creation."

A large green circle of energy appeared above them and started expanding. It matched the size of the panel and stopped growing. Datamon pressed a few more keys, "Splendid. Initiating teleport," the portal started to lower itself onto them, "I suggest you all take a while off after this. After all, everyone needs to take a rest every once in a while."

Renamon smiled, "We'll do so. Thank you for your help, Datamon."

Datamon waved to them, "Bon voyage! Next stop: Database City on the Terminal continent!"

The energy ring completely engulfed them, sending them to the teleport receiver on the Terminal continent. It looked like the same platform that they had been standing on in Datamon's lab, except it was outside, with nothing around it but trees and grass. Vincent stepped off of the teleporter and felt his arms and chest to see if he was still in one piece, "Whew… No malfunctions."

"Why would there be," Renamon asked.

"I dunno. Hey, why is this place out here in the woods?"

"So the Administrators don't find it."

"Gotcha."

Gatomon looked out at the city, "We're not far from where we need to go, anyway."

Candlemon hopped up next to her to see, "Hey, she's right. It shouldn't take more than a half hour."


	9. Sorrow

WOO my longest chapter yet! Remember to leave reviews !

Sorrow

They walked to the city and found the streets practically deserted. Vincent looked around, "Where is everyone?"

Renamon narrowed her eyes, "Something's wrong… No city in the Digital World is ever this quiet, unless it's night time. And we only woke up an hour or two ago."

"Well then," Sora said, walking ahead, "Let's see if we can find someone."

They walked further into the city and found no one. They saw the shadows of people inside buildings, but no one would answer their doors. They heard a voice come from behind them, "Hey, you!"

They turned around to see three blue lizard-like Digimon wearing military armor and holding machine guns in their hands. They did not look happy. The lead lizard spoke, "What are you doing outside?"

Vincent raised his hands in defense, "We just got here."

"Oh really? Then I guess you don't know the rules around here. Civilians are to remain indoors until 2:00 PM, in which time they are allowed out until 8:00 PM. At that time, they must return to their homes or be imprisoned."

"What kind of a crazy law is that?"

"This is martial law! Anyone who questions it will be imprisoned! That is the will of Commander Adel!"

Eri raised an eyebrow, "Who's she?"

"The Administrator of this area. What, are you an idiot or something? You don't even know the names of your commanders?"

One of the other lizards addressed him, "Sir, aren't they… Well, you know… 'Them'?"

The lead lizard took a good look at them, "Wah! You're right! Commandramon Army, assemble!"

An army of the lizard Digimon appeared around them. They seemed to be able to completely turn themselves invisible at will. The Tamers and their Digimon got into their fighting positions. Renamon looked back at Vincent, "You think we should fight?"

"As opposed to being killed? I think you know the answer to that," Vincent leapt at the ones in front of his, "Die!"

They pointed their guns at him and fired, "M16 Assassin!"

Vincent stumbled backward, scrambling to get away from the bullets. The Commandramon advanced on them, "Don't make another move, or we'll blow your brains out!"

Gatomon let out a feline growl, "No reason for us to die like this… We should surrender."

Sora sighed and threw down his shotgun, "So it would seem."

Eri snarled at one of the advancing Commandramon, causing it to cower in fear. One of them came from behind her and hit her with the butt of its rifle. Candlemon went to her aid, "Eri, are you alright?"

Eri rubbed the back of her head and growled, taking her kusarigama and lunging at one of the Commandramon. The lizard's assault rifle stopped her advance, and she dropped her weapon, "This isn't over. Not by a long shot."

An Administrator woman, who looked tall enough to be Vincent's age, approached them, "Oh, of course it isn't. We won't be through with any of you for quite a while."

Vincent shot her a glare, "Who are you?"

"My name is Renee. I work on another continent, but I decided to pay good old Adel a visit. She could always use a little cheering up. And I mean always," the woman said with a laugh.

One of the Commandramon addressed Renee, "Pardon me, but should you not be on the other conti--"

Renee, in a flash, thrust her hand into the Commandramon's throat, piercing it. A strange light emitted from her hand, and the Commandramon was separated into the data that it was composed of. The data was drawn into Renee's hand, and she closed it into a fist, "Now… Let's see what it can do," she held out her hand, and a machine gun that looked like the Commandramon's appeared in her palm. She pointed it at Vincent, "Hold still, 'kay?"

Vincent growled in anger and fear, trying to escape from his Commandramon captors. Another Administrator approached Renee and put his hand on her shoulder, "Stop. She wants them alive."

Renee sighed and dispersed the gun. She actually sounded disappointed, pouting like a little girl, "Aw, phooey… Fine, Adel can have her little playthings. I'll find someone else to shoot," she walked over to Vincent and slipped her fingers under his chin, "Stay alive as long as you can, little boy, and maybe you and I can get together sometime."

Vincent shook his head violently to get her fingers off of him, "As if I'd go anywhere with someone like _you_!"

Renee smiled, "After Adel gets through with you, _anything_ will be a blessing to all of you."

She walked away, and the Commandramon took the Tamers to a prison not too far from the Focus Tower. The Administrator that had led them there addressed them, "Do whatever the hell you want in the cell as long as you don't try anything funny. You're gonna _want_ to behave," he gave them a sort of sympathetic look, "Take it from a man who knows."

Vincent waited until he left and immediately went for the bars, bashing them and trying to break them, "Son of a _bitch_!"

Renamon sighed, sitting in a corner, "It's no use, Vincent… Don't exhaust yourself. You'll need your energy for when the real fight comes."

"What _real_ fight!"

"Whenever this Adel person gets here. I'm sure she has some sick kind of way to torture people and Digimon alike."

Gatomon, who had been de-Digivolved into Salamon, a small puppy-like Digimon (which was strange, seeing as Gatomon was a cat), sat next to Sora, whimpering, "I wanna get out of here…"

Sora laid his hand on her head, "I know, Salamon… I do, too."

Eri growled, "They took our weapons, our Digivices… What next? Are they gonna take us away from each other, too?"

"Wouldn't shock me."

Eri slammed her hand on the wall, "Damn those selfish, no-good, evil, vile, repulsive poor-excuses of humans! I'll gut them all!"

Candlemon put his hand on her arm, "Please, Eri, calm down… You know this isn't going to solve anything."

"I don't care! I need to vent my frustration somewhere!"

A voice came from down the hall, "Well, well, well, lookie here! Fresh meat."

Vincent looked down the hall and spotted two Administrators approaching their cell. They each stood on one side of the door, "We're your guards. Do us a favor and shut the hell up, will ya?"

Vincent growled, "Fuck you."

"You'll regret that," one of them took a rock from the floor and whipped it at Vincent, hitting him in the forehead. Vincent snarled and went to attack, but Renamon held him back.

"Vincent," she said sternly, thinking that any other outbursts would lead to torture, "Enough! I don't want to see you being dragged out of here to a torture bed, so _calm down_!"

Vincent gasped and looked at Renamon. He calmed down and leaned back into her, "R-Right…"

The guard laughed, "Pansy. He lets a woman push him around… A fox, no less. I thought they were a bit more submissive. This guy must have a will the size of a pinhead!"

Renamon and Vincent growled in unison, but they kept their self control. The guards, losing interest in them, turned to Sora, "Hey, get a load of this one."

Sora looked up at them, "What about me?"

"You look like a paintbrush that wears clothing and was dipped in blue paint," he snickered.

Sora growled, "Watch your mouth, scum!"

"You gonna make something of it?"

"Why you--!"

Salamon jumped on his shoulder, "Wait! Don't do it, Sora! You're just gonna cause trouble for yourself!"

Sora grunted, but sat back down. The guards finally turned to Eri, "Whoa… Look at this broad. Is there a fire in here, or is she just that _hot_?"

Eri blushed and turned herself away from them, "Sod _off_."

"Hey, c'mon," one said, "Let's see that pretty face of yours."

Candlemon growled, "Don't listen. Just ignore them."

"Quite, waxie. Alright then, I have a proposition to make," he pulled out his gun and pointed it at Candlemon, "Show me your face, or I'm about to start melting me some wax."

Eri growled and turned back around, "Alright, there. Don't hurt him."

The Administrator laughed, "That's better. Mind if I take a closer look?"

Eri stood and walked to the bars, figuring that he would not warn her next time, "Go ahead and look, but if you _touch_ me, you're gonna regret it."

The Administrator let out a cat-like growl, "Rawr, this one's wild. Hey, maybe Adel wouldn't mind if--"

The other one hit him in the head, "Get your mind out of the gutter if you know what's good for you. You know what Adel does to people who do shit like that."

He cringed, "Oh yeah…"

Eri started to walk back to the wall, but the Administrator stopped her, "Hold on, there. I know I can't do anything _too_ personal, but that doesn't mean I can't look."

Eri growled and walked back to the bars. The Administrator leaned in close and quickly recoiled, "Dude, check this out!"

The other approached, "What?"

"Her eyes… They're _red_!"

Eri's eyes narrowed. The other Administrator leaned in and looked, "You're right. That _is_ odd."

Eri let out a short growl, "You have something to _say_ about my eyes?"

The apparently lighter-hearted Administrator shrugged, "Hey, I just said it's odd. I don't see that every day."

The other one pushed him out of the way, "Are you _kidding_! That's just downright weird! Hah! Talk about a freak of nature! They're not contacts, are they?"

Eri snarled, "They're real… And for your information, I don't take kindly to that word."

"What? 'Freak'?"

She nodded.

"Well, you really can't help being what you are, now can you?"

The other Administrator put his hand on his shoulder, "Hey, chill out. Make fun of the guys, will ya? She's too cute to make angry. Although she _is_ kinda cute now."

"Exactly my point!"

Eri's eyes were flaring, "Don't say I didn't warn you…"

"What are you gonna do? You don't have your weapon or your Digivice! You can just sit there and bitch!"

A cold wind passed through the room, chilling everyone to the bone. Vincent shivered, "Wh-What is that? Did it just get _really_ cold in here, or is it just me?"

Sora exhaled and watched his breath condense in the air, "No, it's really cold, alright."

Candlemon hit behind Eri, "Wh-What's going on..?"

Eri glared at the two Administrators, "Now you will bear witness to my curse… and yours."

They both gave her weird looks. The meaner one grinned, "Now what the hell are you--"

An invisible force threw him against the wall. The other one went to pull out his gun, but he was slammed against the bars and thrown back as well. The first Administrator pulled out his gun and pointed it back and forth, "What was that!"

He felt a cold wind behind him. When he turned around, he saw nothing but a large black shadow with blazing red eyes towering over him. In a flash, the thing swung its arm up, leaving a deep slash mark that traced from the bottom of his chest to his forehead. He stood there for a moment, trying to comprehend what had just occurred, and then fell backward, dead. The other Administrator fired a few shots into the thing, but they just went through it, hitting the wall behind it. The thing turned to him and approached him. He kept shooting, screaming various threats and curses. It grabbed him by the throat with its huge clawed hands and started to squeeze. The blood started to rush to his head, turning it crimson red. The thing squeezed harder, and the Administrator's head popped off. It dropped the body and let the head roll to the side, turning its attention toward the Tamers. Vincent got into his fighting position, "Shit, now it's after us…"

The thing approached the prison door and stood in front of Eri. They both looked at each other for a few moments, and then the thing held its hand out to her. It turned its hand over, and out dropped their weapons and Digivices. Vincent gaped at the event in progress, "Wha…"

As quickly as it had appeared, the thing vanished. Eri casually picked up her weapon and Digivice, "Let's get out of here."

"Hold on a second," Vincent said, "What _was_ that thing?"

"There's no time. Let's--"

"Then _make_ time."

Eri paused. She looked from the hallway to Vincent, "Can it please wait? I don't want to escape just to be captured again."

Vincent grunted, "Alright, fine. Let's go."

The Digimon Digivolved to their Champion forms and bashed the prison bars down. They opened the cells of the other Digimon that had been imprisoned there and let them leave, as well. They made their way out, killing every Administrator that stood in their way. In the end, they escaped and hid in an abandoned building a while away from the prison. Eri leaned against the wall, gasping and panting. Vincent sat next to her and faced her, "Ok… Now tell us. What was that thing?"

Eri slid down against the wall, "Alright… But promise me one thing, all of you… Wizardmon already did, but I need you all to promise me this, too."

They all agreed, and Eri explained her tragic childhood to them. Her strange curse, her evil mother, her father's death… All of it. Sora lowered his glasses, "This is all 100 true, now?"

"Yes," Eri said, sighing, "That thing you saw there… It was the thing that killed those children."

"But I thought you said you didn't know what it was."

"I didn't… until now. I don't know how, but I just felt it. I knew that it was the one who did it. Call it a sixth sense, if you will."

Vincent let his head hang forward, "I… I'm sorry I was so pushy."

"Don't worry about it. I don't."

Wizardmon looked out the window, "It looks like they've given up."

"Good," Renamon said, "Then it's time for us to go."

They headed for the Focus Tower and hid behind a group of rocks. Renamon looked out at the tower. As Datamon had suggested, it was heavily guarded. She looked at the others, "Alright, how do you all think we should do this?"

Vincent shrugged, "There doesn't seem to be much of an issue here. We run in, we kill anyone who gets in our way, and we kill Adel."

Sora laughed, "I like your enthusiasm, but I doubt it's that simple."

Wizardmon looked at the entrance, "No volatile containers or anything. Not a single distraction opportunity."

Gatomon scratched the back of her head, "Artillery fire…"

They all looked at her with inquisitive expressions. She shrugged, "Well, think about it. There's a lot of them, and we can all hit at long range in some way. Sooooooo… Why not take advantage of that?"

Renamon nodded, "Sounds good. Any objections?"

Everyone shook their heads, so the plan was decided. Renamon Digivolved and started to gather flames into her tails, "Ready?"

Gatomon Digivolved as well, preparing an arrow, "Say when."

Wizardmon was charging magical energy into his staff, "I'm good."

They all fired simultaneously.

"Fox Tail Inferno!"

"Celestial Arrow!"

"Magical Game!"

A group of Administrators dropped where each of the attacks hit. They immediately began to rush toward them. Vincent drew his sword, "Well, here they come."

Kyubimon, Angewomon, and Wizardmon kept unloading ranged attacks until the Administrators got closer, in which case they had to start either using melee attacks or backing away to use their ranged attacks again. Vincent got close, cutting them down with his sword. Sora stayed right out of reach and blasted them with his gun. Eri stayed toward the back and swung her kusarigama with a grace that looked almost heavenly. The Administrators, being caught off guard, were falling quickly. One of them shouted into his radio, "We need backup! Send in the Digimon!"

A squad of Tyranomon and Commandramon ran into the action, sending fireballs and bullets everywhere. Kyubimon turned to face them, gathered surplus energy into her tails, and fired, "Fox Tail Inferno!"

The Commandramon were either sent flying or destroyed on contact, but the Tyranomon kept at it. Angewomon and Wizardmon prepared their attacks. The angel turned to her friend, "You ready?"

Wizardmon nodded, "When you are."

Angewomon let her arrow fly… "Celestial Arrow!"

…and Wizardmon released the energy in his staff, "Magical Game!"

The Tyranomon were dropping one after the other. Vincent called to his friends, "Let's go! The path is clear!"

They rushed the door to the tower and made it inside. They were met with minimal resistance, seeing as most of the Administrator force was now either dead, dying, or injured outside. They got onto the elevator and pressed the up button. Sora sighed, "Damn, that was quite a rush."

"Really," Eri said. She looked at Wizardmon, "You ok?"

He nodded, "Of course. And you?"

"I'm alright," she smiled. Her mood immediately changed, however, as they hit the top floor. There was a large black chair in the room that was faced away from them. There was one hand leaning off of the side of it. Adel had not seemed to notice them yet. Sora looked at Vincent for direction, and he told them to move quietly. If they were lucky, they could probably end this one quickly. That is, if they were _really_ lucky.

Adel spoke in a very silent voice that trembled with each word, "What are you doing in here? I told you that I was not to be disturbed."

They kept walking, intending to catch her off guard. That plan was diced to pieces as Adel spun the chair around to look at them, stood, and took a few steps forward. She had long brown hair and deep blue eyes, and she was wearing a long black dress. A tear rolled down her cheek, "Oh. It is you."

Vincent raised an eyebrow, "What's _her_ damage?"

"Forgive my lack of introduction. I am--," a beeping noise came from her computer. She sighed, walking back over to her chair, "One moment."

Sora growled and ran at her, drawing a sword of his own that he had not used until now, "'One moment'! I'll show you!"

Adel turned toward him and held out her arm, a large scythe appearing in her hands. She blocked his attack, "I said 'one moment'. I will be right with you," she pushed Sora back. She pressed a button on her keyboard, "Yes, what is it?"

The image of a soldier appeared on her computer's monitor, "Commander, please forgive us, but the prisoners have escaped! We are currently looking for them and we will not let them cause you any--"

"They're already here."

"Wh-What? Oh, no… Please, don't do what I think you're going to do!"

Adel pressed her hand to the screen, "You mean… this?"

The soldier began to scream as he fell to the floor, twitching and convulsing. Adel sighed, "I really hate to do this, but you allowed them to get here. That is most unsatisfying."

Vincent growled, "Who do you think you are, playing with their lives like that!"

Adel stood again and walked closer to them, "I am Adel Zora. And I take it you are the Digi-Destined. You are all so young… It saddens me to have to do this," she raised her scythe into the air, "Then again, not many things don't sadden me."

Sora sighed, "Great. An Emo."

Adel leapt at the group, spinning her scythe around as she landed near them. They all had to back away or they would be diced to pieces. Vincent drew his sword, "Alright, wench… Let's make this quick. Let's go, Kyubimon!"

Kyubimon rushed at Adel with Vincent, shooting off fireballs as Vincent struck at her with his sword. Adel blocked the sword with her scythe and jumped back, avoiding the fire. Sora took out his shotgun and ran up to her, "You Administrators may have superhuman powers, but a good old blast with a 12-gauge at point blank will do just about anyone in!"

Angewomon created an arrow and pulled it back, lining up her shot. Sora blasted Adel, sending her flying back against the wall. Angewomon fired her arrow, hitting her in the chest. She was still alive. Upon close examination, there were not even any open wounds; just bruises. Angewomon made another arrow, "She's got some kind of digital armor. We can't break through it."

Sora growled, "It's probably only blast proof… So if we stick it right to her, she'll still die, right?"

"Probably," Eri said, hurling her kusarigama at Adel, who ducked out of the way and leapt at her.

Adel brought her scythe down on her, "Die!"

Wizardmon appeared in front of Eri and blasted her with a Thunder Ball, "Stay back!"

Adel staggered backward, stepping right into a Fox Tail Inferno. She was knocked against the wall, gasping and panting, "Go… my… Digimon…"

A group of black Digimon with white fur on their chests surrounded them. They each had large, gaping mouths that were lined with teeth, yellow hands with clawed fingers, bat wings, and a red mohawk atop their head. Eri found the time to scan them, "Vilemon… Virus, and a Champion level."

Wizardmon stepped closer to Eri, not taking his attention away from their new opponents. The Vilemon started to attack, sending red energy beams at them, "Demon Darts!"

Vincent deflected a few with his sword, but was struck in the leg. His leg gave out, causing him to collapse and become victim to more of the darts. Kyubimon growled and stood in front of Vincent, "Bastards! How dare you!

She fired off a Dragon Wheel and incinerated the group in front of her. Meanwhile, Eri and Sora were not doing so well, either. They had both been hit several times and were barely standing, their partners doing their utmost to protect them. Angewomon and Wizardmon stood with their backs facing their partners. "So," Wizardmon said, "Any ideas?"

"I was waiting for _you_," Angewomon replied, almost sarcastically. She fired a few more arrows, defeating the Vilemon in front of her, "Even if we kill them, she's going to be after us once she regains her strength."

Wizardmon charged his staff with a considerable amount of magic and fired the beam to his left. He slowly brought it to his right, sweeping across the entire group of Vilemon. He collapsed, fatigued, "I hope I never have to do _that_ again…"

Angewomon cleared out the rest of the Vilemon just in time for Kyubimon and Vincent to join them. Sora turned his attention toward Adel, "Your little slaves are dead. Since you don't seem to have any nasty tricks, or you just aren't using them, I'm gonna ask you to stand still while we kill you."

Adel held herself up on her scythe, "Oh really? I guess you don't realize why they call me 'The Deliverer of Eternal Sadness'. Allow me," she started to make strange movements with her hands, "to show you."

She started chanting a strange incantation that quickly filled the room with strange voices, each voice sounding distressed or sad, some crying hysterically. Adel raised her hands in the air, more tears running down her face, "Perish in eternal sorrow."

To the Tamers and their Digimon, the room went pitch black. Each of them was now trapped in their own mind. However, that was not the worst part of it. Vincent looked back and forth, "Where did she go! Sora… Eri… Renamon!"

He felt a sharp pain in his head, and the blackness around him became his home. Not his foster home. His real home. From when he lived with his real parents. He was standing right where he was on the day that…

He took a moment to assess what was going on, "Wh… Where the hell… Wait, this is--"

There was a loud smash on the door, followed by voices from the outside, "Open this door now!"

Vincent recognized that voice, "Wait a minute… This already happened!"

However, he did not feel like it was familiar to him. The feeling it was giving him was as fresh and new as it was on that day, only worse. Even worse was the fact that he knew what was coming. He ran to his parents, "Don't answer the door!"

His father gave him a perplexed look, "Well, I assumed there was something odd about it when they started screaming."

"You'll be killed if you go out there!"

His father drew his sword, "I haven't died yet," and went to the door.

Vincent tried to stop him, "No, stop!"

His father pulled away from his grip and opened the door. There he was greeted not by humans, but a group of Digimon. This was not what had happened before. Vincent tried to help, but his sword went through them, "This is a bad dream! _A bad dream_!"

It was too real to be a dream. As he did in reality (Vincent did not quite know if this world was even reality), Vincent's father fell dead at the hands of his attackers. They ignored Vincent and went straight for his mother. She fought valiantly, but she too was killed. A familiar feminine voice came from behind him, "It's ok, Vincent. Now you can be with us."

He turned around and his heart skipped a beat when he saw Renamon standing there, leading the Digimon that had attacked them. He took a few steps back, "R-Rena-Renamon…"

"What's wrong, Vincent? Did I startle you?"

Vincent could not take much more of this, whatever it was. He drew his sword and started to kill the Digimon that surrounded Renamon…

Sora stood on what looked like a battlefield in a city. He had an assault rifle in his hands and wore military armor. This was the war he had been in, or as he thought, the war he was _currently_ in. Apparently there had been a secret war going on between the United States and Russia and China, with the two Eurasian countries on one side and America being left to fend for itself. America's leader had not been the most humane (or clear-thinking, for that matter) person the country had ever seen, and he was paranoid to the extreme. When he heard that Russia and China had formed a secret alliance, violating several treaties and upsetting very many nations, he jumped the gun and declared war, launching nuclear strikes at the two countries. Russia, being another world superpower, retaliated with its own nuclear strike on the US. It was the first major disaster to hit America since September 11, 2001. Sora was drafted into the army and followed his orders a little too strictly, even for his own taste. The new leaders of Russia and China were not the most sane people on Earth, either. They had gone so far a to prey on America's sympathy for the weak by sending children into battle. Sora was assigned the worst job a sane man could ever have…

He walked down the street with his squad close to him. The soldiers in this area were all gone, but they had to hit something far more important. Not current soldiers. Potential ones. Ones that the American government knew would become soldiers in their enemies' favor. To protect their own soldiers (at least, that is what they claimed), they had to do this, no matter how inhumane it was. He approached the building and signaled his men to halt. He peeked into the door and looked for any hostiles. There were two men standing guard in the reception room. He went back to the squad and signaled them to form up around the door. Sora took a grenade off of his belt, pulled the pin out, and threw it into the room. The grenade exploded, and Sora's team ran inside, quickly shooting the guards. They passed a sign on the wall written in Russian that translated to "Saint Theresa's Orphanage.

They entered the room where all of the children were staying in. They were all hiding in various places, but they were easily visible. Sora let out a deep sigh, "Alright, men. You… know what to do."

One of them looked at him with a very unsatisfied face, "Sir…"

"It's our job. Do you want to put our allies at risk?"

"N-No, sir…"

"Then do your duty," Sora said. They all stood in line, aimed their rifles into the room, and fired. The children tried to run, but it was in vain. They all were hit eventually. Sora wordlessly reloaded his gun and started to move further into the room. He spoke without turning, "Fan out. Make sure there aren't any more," he checked under a few things and got a bit nervous when his squad did not start moving, "Hey, I didn't say 'take your time'."

He turned around to find his entire squad dead. He rushed over to them, "What the hell!"

He heard something hitting the floor. When he turned around, he saw the horrific sight of the children's bodies standing back up, still bleeding and still, for the most part still dead. That was, until one of them opened his eyes and a sick grin appeared on his face, "You killed us… You're in biiiiig trouble…"

Sora could not believe what he was seeing, "A-Am I hallucinating!"

The bodies all slowly started to rise up once again, all chanting the same thing. Sora screamed, firing frantically in random directions. A few of the shots connected, but they did not stop them. He was breathing heavily, and he did not know if his sanity would hold out…

Eri stood before a flaming vehicle. It had crashed on the side of the highway, and apparently the driver was dead. Still, the car was ever so familiar. She went over to investigate it and saw the burnt figure of her father lying on the ground next to the car. She ran over to him and knelt down next to him, "Father!"

He looked up at her and coughed, "Eri…"

"Father, what happened?"

"_You_ happened…"

"What..?"

"Ever since you were born I knew there was something wrong with you. Your red eyes, the feelings I got… That shadow that stalked around the house at night. You really are a devil child…"

"No, Father! I didn't do this!"

"You didn't… but you made her do it."

"Who? Who did it?"

"Your mother, of course. You worked your devilish magic and turned us against each other until… Well, you see," he coughed again. He looked away from her, "Akumako…"

"No! Don't call me that, _please_!"

She heard her mother's voice, "But you are a devil child."

She turned around and saw her mother standing there with a large kitchen knife in her hand, "If anything, you're the fucking devil!"

Eri's mother glared at her, "Don't speak to your mother that way!"

"You're _not_ my mother! Mothers are supposed to be kind to their children!"

"Not when they're the spawn of demons!"

"I'm not a demon," Eri screamed, hurling her kusarigama at her mother. It hit her in the throat and she gagged. Eri realized what she just did, "Wh-Wha…"

Her mother fell backward, withdrawing the blade from her neck. Eri hated her mother, but she would never wanted to _kill_ her. She never wanted to kill anyone, for that matter. She collapsed to the ground, sobbing in despair and confusion…

Renamon stood before the sea creature Megaseadramon once again. She knew that she had done this before, but it did not matter. Adel's spell was dulling their judgment, and Renamon was already lacking in that as it was. She saw Vincent constricted in the monster's tail, being crushed harder and harder. With a feral growl, she leapt at the monster, Vincent's sword in her hand. When she reached the tail, she swung the sword at the weak flesh. This time, however, the sword broke into pieces. Renamon shouted in disbelief, but she did not have time to think about it. Vincent's situation was getting worse by the second. She leapt at the monster, sending all of the Diamond Storms she could throw at it, but nothing worked. Vincent groaned in agony, "Renamon… _help me_…"

She growled and leapt at the beast's head, punching and kicking and clawing at whatever she could hit, but nothing seemed to phase the creature. She landed on the ground next to the water, watching helplessly as Vincent was crushed. She collapsed to her knees, sobbing, "I… I've failed you, Vincent… I'm going to lose you and there's nothing I can do about it…"

Vincent growled, "Why are you just sitting there!"

Renamon covered her ears, "I don't want to hear anymore!"

Vincent started to lose consciousness, "Traitor..! You left me for dead!"

Renamon shook her head violently, "No, no, _no_!"

Vincent lost consciousness, and Renamon started to cry hysterically, "Vincent… NO!"

Gatomon stood before the evil Digimon known as Myotismon. He looked a lot like the stereotypical vampire; dressed like royalty, cape and all. He grinned sadistically, showing his vampire fangs, "Poor little Gatomon… Your strength is fading fast, I can tell. You are going to die here, and all to protect that feeble little human girl."

Kari, Gatomon's last partner, stood behind her, cowering before the evil Digimon. Gatomon growled, "Curse you, Myotismon..!"

He laughed, "What's that? Scorn? Yes, you posses a lot of that, my little friend."

"You know nothing about me! Die," she leapt at him, swinging her fists wildly. However, she could not land a single hit on him. Myotismon bashed her away, knocking her away from Kari. He grinned and started to charge up his attack, "And now, Eighth Child… Perish," he held his hands out in front of him sending a swarm of bats at Kari, "Grisly Wing!"

Gatomon froze as the bats advanced on her. Suddenly, someone jumped in the way of the bats. He was wearing a blue steeple hat with a skull decoration on it. Wizardmon. Gatomon growled and leapt at Myotismon, "_No_!"

He turned to her and fired the same attack, knocking her to the ground. Myotismon laughed sinisterly, "And now, Gatomon… You get to see your precious partner die!"

Gatomon watched in horror as Myotismon lunged forward and sank his fangs into Kari's neck. The little girl froze as her lifeblood gushed out from her veins. Myotismon released her, letting her fall to the floor, and laughed, "That was quite satisfying. I hadn't had a drink in _days_."

Gatomon let herself collapse. She had failed to do what she had vowed to do so many times: Protect her partner. As Myotismon approached her, she let her eyes close. As far as she was concerned, she did not deserve to exist…

Wizardmon was having the exact same dream, but for him it was far worse. The same events took place, but there was one difference between himself and Gatomon: He had, until recently, lost his memory. Now the influx of memories was driving him mad with grief. He knew that Gatomon and Kari had survived, but the sheer thought of them being killed by Myotismon crushed his heart over and over again. If it did not stop soon, he figured he might just lose his mind. The images replayed, and replayed, and replayed…

Eri was curled up on the ground, mumbling incoherent things, when she heard Wizardmon's voice, "Eri?"

"Wh… Wizardmon..?"

"Eri, where are you?"

"Where are… _you_? Where is everyone?"

"I don't know, but listen to me. This is nothing but trickery placed upon us by Adel."

"I know, but…"

"I know the memories are painful. Believe me, I just got mine back in quite a negative way. The memories are painful, but that's all they are. They're never going to happen again if you can learn to let it go! Eri, please, you have to wake up!"

Eri shut her eyes tight, "Wizardmon…"

A bright light surrounded her, and she was suddenly back in the tower. Wizardmon was snapping out of the spell, as well. Adel growled, "How did you escape?"

Eri readied her weapon, "Like I'm gonna tell you!"

Wizardmon joined her, "You will pay for toying with our memories!"

Adel kept her sad face, regardless of the situation, "It is futile. You will not defeat me. As long as your companions are in my influence, I will continue to gain strength. Eventually they will exhaust themselves to death."

Wizardmon charged at her, firing energy from his staff, "Magical Game!"

Adel hit it back at him with her scythe, sending him flying into a wall. She leapt at him and swung her scythe, barely missing him as he dodged to the side. However, that was not all she had up her sleeve. She took the scythe and lunged at him with the bottom part, stabbing through his ribcage. Wizardmon screamed and struggled to get away. Adel twisted the scythe, "Fool. You should know better than to think that only one part of a weapon is actually a weapon."

Eri growled, "Wizardmon!"

Her Digivice began to glow. The light that emitted from it encompassed Wizardmon, breaking the scythe's shaft. Adel stepped back, "Wh-What is…"

Wizardmon's body started reshaping itself, growing to about six feet tall. His steeple hat changed to what looked like a crown with the steeple part of the hat still intact. The crown covered his eyes. Platinum armor with golden trim appeared on his body, and a long blue cape came out of his shoulder armor. A flaming sword appeared in his right hand, and a crystal ball in his left. The light dispersed, "Wizardmon Digivolves to… Mystimon!"

Adel readied what was left of her scythe, "This will not help you."

Mystimon immediately leapt at her, swinging his sword at her and breaking her scythe. He aimed the crystal ball at her, firing multiple energy spikes at her, "Core Dart!"

Adel was hit by all of them, but she was not done yet. She held her hands out in front of her and fired a blast of negative energy at him, "Sorrow!"

Mystimon held out his sword and shot a stream of flames at her, "Blast Fire!"

The flames overtook the negative energy and washed over her, burning her badly. She stood there in shock for a moment, "Finally… Released from this realm of… sorrow."

She fell forward, a slight smile on her face. The data from her digital abilities started to separate from her body. Eri ran over and hugged Mystimon, "You did it! Great job!"

Mystimon laughed, "Well, I could not have done it alone."

A voice came from one of the windows, "How sentimental…"

They turned to see Katsu standing there with Oukamon at his side. Eri readied her weapon, "You. What do you want?"

"Simply the woman's data," he said, walking over to Adel's body.

"As if we'd let you take it! Who knows what you're going to do with it."

Katsu laughed, "Oukamon?"

The wolf Digimon became encased in a red light. Her body changed from quadruped to biped, taking the appearance of an attractive human female with wolf ears and black fur for clothing. Her silver hair went all the way down to her lower back, and her blue eyes seemed a bit too angelic. The light disappeared, "Oukamon Digivolves to… Lupimon!"

Mystimon let out a confident huff, "You'll have to do better than that."

The wolf girl's ears bent backward, "What did you say!"

He leapt at her and swung his sword, knocking her into a wall. She stood again and gathered herself, "Uhhh Katsu… I think he's an Ultimate level…"

Katsu narrowed his eyes, "You can beat a stupid mage with a big piece of metal, can't you?"

Mystimon glared at him, "That coming from a gun-slinging maniac like yourself!"

Lupimon took that as her advantage, tackling him near the window. Mystimon was just glad he had not slid any further backward. Lupimon grinned, "Looks like the tables are turned now, my knight in shining armor."

"What?"

She laughed, "Come on, we don't have to fight. We're fighting the same guys, aren't we? Let's be friends."

Eri's eye twitched, "Quit _conversing_ with the enemy and strike!"

Mystimon, for a reason he could not explain, found himself unable to lift his sword, "I… _can't_..!"

"What!"

Katsu simply watched, a pleased expression on his face. Lupimon leaned in close to Mystimon, "Well, whaddaya say? C'mon, let's stop all this."

"I don't know," Mystimon said, turning away.

Lupimon grinned. In an instant, she positioned her feet on his chest, dug her claws in deep, and kicked off of him, "Betrayal!"

Mystimon cringed and grunted in agony, "What..!"

"Oh, come on. Did you really expect me to get so _into_ you on the first date?"

Mystimon snarled, "You sneaky bitch!"

"Well, I'm sneaky, and I'm technically a bitch, so there's not much offence I should take to that."

Katsu approached Adel's body, but was nearly sliced by Eri's kusarigama. He looked at her and started to raise his gun. Lupimon stopped him, "I'll take care of them."

"Fine then," he said, putting it back.

Mystimon quickly got himself up and charged at Lupimon, "Die!"

Lupimon turned around, but it was too late for a counterattack. Katsu saw this and, putting all doubt aside, jumped in front of her and put his gun up to block him. The sword chopped the gun in half and sliced deep into Katsu's chest. Mystimon realized what had just occurred, "Fool! Do you realize what you just did!"

Lupimon stood there in shock. She caught Katsu as he fell, "Katsu! Why did you do that, you idiot!"

Eri would have felt sorry for him, had he not shot at them the first time they met. She started for the door, "Mystimon, let's go."

Lupimon was letting out a low, feral snarl, "You…"

Mystimon stopped walking and looked at her. She was glaring at him, "You… hurt… my… Katsu!"

Katsu's Digivice started to once again emit the red light, and once again Lupimon started to change. Her eyes turned red and her hair shortened to her shoulder. Her fur clothing turned into armor plating. Large metal claws appeared on her hands and feet, "Lupimon Digivolves to… Matrimon!"

Mystimon turned back to her and got ready to fight again. Matrimon leapt at him, running on all fours and tackling him. She dug all of her claws into him and drove her fangs into his shoulder, shaking her head violently. Mystimon could not get her off, and he was losing strength quickly. Katsu grunted and called to her, "Oukamon… We need to… get out of here…"

Matrimon looked back at him and regained control of herself. She released Mystimon and ran over to Katsu, who quickly absorbed Adel's data. Matrimon put Katsu on her back and jumped out the window. Her only concern now was to get him to safety. Eri went to check on Mystimon, "God, are you alright?"

He de-Digivolved to Wizardmon, barely able to even keep that form, "I'll be ok. I have to admit, though, I wasn't expecting that…"

She pulled him into an embrace, "At least you're ok…"

Wizardmon cringed, "Your affection is welcome, always, but I am in quite a bit of pain right now…"

"Whoops," she set him down gently, "Sorry."

"It's alright."

By now the others were waking up. Vincent held his hand on his forehead, "What the hell is going on?"

Renamon got up and shook her head, "It was… just a dream."

Eri looked at them, "You were all under Adel's spell. She was making us relive the worst moments of our lives."

Sora sat up, "And then some…"

Gatomon clung to Sora, "I never wanted to go through that…"

"I know. Neither did I."

Renamon looked at Vincent, who returned her look. They both simply stared at each other for a moment and then they threw their arms around each other. Renamon was struggling to keep her composure, "Vincent… I…"

Vincent shook his head, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Later."

"Ok."

Gatomon glanced over at Wizardmon. Somehow she could tell that he remembered now. She walked over and sat next to him, "You had the same dream as me, I take it… Except in your point of view."

Wizardmon nodded.

"That's not how it happened."

"I know. I remember now."

"So you _are_ the same Wizardmon?"

"It would seem so."

She put her paw on his hand, "I knew it was you. I don't know how, but I knew it…"

Sora let out a sigh of relief, "I'm _really_ freakin' glad that my dream was not as accurate as it happened."

"What was it," Gatomon asked.

"You don't wanna know…"

Wizardmon stood himself up, "We should get back to Server. It's safer there."

Eri nodded and uploaded the protection program. She turned to the others, "Alright, let's go."

She picked up Wizardmon and they all walked to the elevator. Vincent and Renamon remained standing there for a few moments. Eri called to them , "Hey, Vincent, Renamon."

They did not answer. They seemed to be lost in thought. Her eye twitched, "_Vincent_! _Renamon_! Let's go!"

They both jumped and turned to her, "Wha?"

Eri put her hand on her forehead and shouted, "Let's _go_!"

"Uh, right," they said in unison, getting onto the elevator. They made their way back to the teleporter and back to Server. It was finally time to take a rest…


	10. Time to Relax

Time to Relax

Everyone was either asleep or about to sleep in Datamon's lab. Vincent still sat up in his bed, thinking. Renamon came in and sat next to him, "Something troubling you?"

He shook his head, "Just that dream that I had."

"I see. Mine was probably no better," she let her head hang forward and sighed.

"What was yours about?"

"You were caught by Megaseadramon again… but this time I couldn't save you… and you were calling me a traitor for giving up when I could barely move."

"You know I'd never say that," he took her paw in his hand and squeezed it.

She squeezed back and smiled, "So, what was yours about?"

Vincent paused. He did not know if it was going to have a bad effect on her. However, she _did_ tell him hers, so he figured it was only right to return the favor, "You were the one who killed my parents…"

Renamon cringed. She had not expected that. She put her arms around him, "Why did she make you dream that?"

"I know why. One, she wanted to remind me that my parents were dead. Two, she wanted to bring out my original scorn for Digimon. And three, she wanted me to live the horror of having to fight you."

She brushed his hair with her paw and he blushed a bit. Renamon held him tighter, "That's… awful."

"I know."

"Well, you know I'd never commit such an atrocity."

Vincent leaned into her, "I know. I trust you, 100 percent, Renamon. I trust you with my life."

Renamon smiled, "And I trust you with mine."

Vincent closed his eyes and smiled. "She's so warm," he thought, "So soft… It's hard to believe she's as strong as she is. I haven't even been here a week and we've already made so much progress… and I've grown so fond of her…"

Renamon seemed to sense that he was deep in thought, "What's on your mind?"

Vincent snapped out of his bliss, "Huh? Oh, nothing."

Renamon shrugged and rested her head on his, "If you say so. Goodnight, Vincent."

"Goodnight, Renamon," Vincent said, closing his eyes again. They slept through the night, as did the rest of the Tamers and their Digimon. However, they were blissfully unaware of the strange, odd, and even humorous events that would be taking place in the near future…

Katsu's eyes shot open and he looked around quickly to see where he was. He calmed down when he recognized his room. His wounds were patched up, and somehow he was still alive, "That attack… I think there was quite a bit of luck in this."

Oukamon walked in, "You're alright! Thank goodness!"

"Thanks to you. You're the one who carried me out of there."

"But Katsu… Why did you do that?"

He paused. Why _had_ he done it? He shook his head, "I… really don't know. I felt like I had to, I guess."

Oukamon smiled and nuzzled his hand, "You saved my life, you know."

"I know."

"I never expected you to care so much."

Katsu blushed a bit, "I…"

A tall bird-like Digimon walked in. It was Karatenmon, "Katsu, are you well?"

"Yeah, I think so…"

"Lord Beelzemon wishes to see you."

Katsu stood, the pain slightly affecting his ability to walk, "Alright… agh…"

Oukamon Digivolved so she could guide him through the hallway, "Easy does it, now."

They entered Beelzemon's chamber. The three eyed Digimon looked at them as they approached, "Well then, Katsu. Did you get the data?"

Katsu took out his Digivice and pushed a few buttons. The data from Adel's powers was released, and Beelzemon took it. He put it into a large glass container next to him, which contained the data from Charles and Leon as well. "Good," Beelzemon said, "Very good. Only three more now…"

Katsu started to leave the room, "If you won't be needing me anymore, Lord Beelzemon, I wish to return to my room and rest."

"Of course. Go ahead."

Karatenmon waited until he left and then spoke, "Are you sure you can trust him?"

"Believe me, Karatenmon… He won't be going anywhere. Not as long as he has a reason to stay. Take his injuries, for example," Beelzemon grinned.

Karatenmon just shrugged, "It is your call."

Katsu and Lupimon walked back to the room. Lupimon sighed, "I wonder how long he'll give you to rest…"

"Long enough," Katsu said, "Remember, he needs me to get that data. He won't be able to find anyone else who's willing to go anywhere near the Administrators."

"Karatenmon probably would…"

"Karatenmon is too busy sucking up, and he's probably just as corruptible as the others."

"Well, I guess. Anyway, you should take this opportunity to your advantage."

"What do you think I'm gonna do?"

Lupimon laughed, "Good, good. Is there anything you need?"

"No, I'm fine," Katsu said, laying down, "Oh, and Lupimon?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for your help."

She smiled, "You're welcome."

_Rest Day 1_

Vincent awoke to find Renamon still latched onto him. Her arms were wrapped around his chest, immobilizing his arms, and her head was leaning into his neck. He could hear and feel Renamon's breathing, which almost sounded like purring. He smiled and tried his best to free himself, "Hey, Renamon. Time to wake up, vixie."

Renamon stirred and opened one eye, "Is it really morning already?"

"Hehe, yep."

"Alright, alright," she let him roll off of her and she sat up.

Vincent would not have minded staying like that forever, but there were other things they needed to do. He hugged her from behind, "Just so you know, you're a great pillow."

Renamon laughed, "And you're a great teddy bear."

Vincent blushed and let go, "Ahem… Right, I'm uh… gonna go see what everyone else is doing."

Renamon waited until he left the room and started laughing, "So outgoing until _I_ make a comment."

Vincent walked into the main room. Eri, Wizardmon, Sora, and Gatomon were already up. Sora glanced at him, "Hey, about time you got up."

"Ah, shove it. I was tired."

"So were we," Eri said.

"Ok, I was _really_ tired."

"So were--"

"Dammit, I was very comfortable, ok?"

"I was kidding," Eri said, shaking her head.

"Since when did you have a sense of humor?"

"Since I met you. You're a good source of things to make fun of."

Vincent growled, "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Sora laughed, "I think she means you've made yourself look stupid on more than a few occasions."

"Burn in hell," Vincent sat at the table, "So, where's the trash compactor?"

"Still powered down, I think. Where's the seven foot vixen?"

"She's awake. Dunno what she's doing."

Eri shrugged, "Think about how much hair she needs to brush compared to humans."

Vincent raised an eyebrow and shook his head, "Is there a name for what's wrong with you?"

"What?"

"I doubt she feels the need to brush her fur."

"And why wouldn't she?"

"Because she's… Well, uh…"

"Go on."

"She's… pretty the… way she is?"

Eri grinned, "Maybe I should tell her you said that."

"If you want to die at sixteen, be my guest."

Wizardmon sighed, "We're not fighting Administrators for a week, so we'll wind up fighting each other. Typical."

Renamon came into the room, "Sorry I'm a bit late up. I was brushing my fur."

Eri gave Vincent an 'I told you so' look, and then turned back to Renamon, "No problem."

Vincent grunted, "Hey, I don't know many girls, ok?"

Renamon looked back and forth between Vincent and Eri, "I miss something?"

"Nothing too important," Eri said.

"Ok."

Datamon walked in, "Good morning everyone! I trust you all had a good sleep last night?"

Sora shrugged, "Well, I think sleeping _in general_ last night was impossible to avoid."

"Yeah, that was exhausting as hell," Vincent said.

"Well that is why you all should take this week off," Datamon said.

"We are. I've been thinking of exploring the city anyway."

"Capital idea! However, you can't go anywhere on an empty stomach!"

"You're an oven, too?"

Datamon growled, "Stop that!"

Renamon hit Vincent on the head, "Stop being so rude!"

"In any case, I will be making breakfast now. I will be back shortly," Datamon said, leaving the room.

Vincent laughed, "Man I love antagonizing him."

Renamon sighed, "Vincent… What am I gonna do with you?"

Sora snickered, "Lotsa things, no doubt."

"What was that!"

"Nothing, nothing," he laughed.

Renamon growled, "Idiot…"

Vincent put his head on the table, "Sora…"

Eri laughed, "This is gonna be an interesting week."

"If we don't kill each other first."

Gatomon laughed, "If we're killing each other, I've got dibs on the closest sharp object."

Sora gave her an odd look, "Okay…"

Vincent thought for a moment, "Gatomon… aren't your claws always the closest sharp object to you?"

Gatomon looked at her paws and blinked a few times, "Oh, yeah."

Renamon sat next to Vincent and rested her head on her paw. She seemed to be deep in thought. Vincent leaned to the side so he could see her face, "Something wrong?"

She jumped, "Huh? No, I'm fine."

"C'mon, you can tell me."

"There's nothing to tell."

He shrugged, "Whatever. But you know who to come to if you have a problem."

"I'll keep that in mind," Renamon smiled, although this was a problem she could not talk to him about…

Datamon came back with a large platter in his hands, "Breakfast is ready, everyone! I hope you all like eggs!"

Gatomon snickered, "Long as it's not a Digitamamon, I'm ok with it."

Sora raised an eyebrow, "A what?"

"Digitamamon. Basically he's a Digimon who hasn't come out of his shell all the way."

"Literally," Renamon added.

"Riiiight," Sora said, "I'm sorry I asked."

The eggs were not too bad. They actually tasted like normal eggs, from the human world. "Finally," Vincent thought, "Something that our two worlds have in common."

Renamon turned to Datamon, "I had no idea you were such a good cook. I'm impressed."

Datamon smiled, "Why thank you, Renamon! I'm glad _someone_ appreciates my cooking besides me!"

"Hmph," Vincent mumbled. He whispered to Renamon, snickering, "Way to humor him."

Renamon hit him on the head, "Stop being so rude."

"Ow! Hey, what was that for?"

"I already told you."

Vincent grumbled and continued eating, "If you weren't two feet taller than me…"

"Yeah, yeah," she roughed up the top of his head, giving Vincent the impression that she was petting him. She cringed sarcastically, "I'm sure you'd kick my ass."

"Grrr…"

"Ah, relax. I'm only kidding."

"I know."

Eri snickered, "Maybe he needs a hug, Renamon."

Vincent and Renamon both growled, "Shut up."

Eri simply laughed it off while Wizardmon sighed, "I thought she'd be the subtle one…"

Later that day, Sora had gone out to see what the city had to it. He decided to go and have lunch, so he stopped at a nearby restaurant. Gatomon sat idly on his shoulder, "I hope the food's good here."

"I do, too," Sora replied. The waiter, a Mushroomon, approached them and took their orders. The food, shockingly, was not very different from that in the human world. He saw it as more of a blessing than an oddity. He ordered a bunch of chicken wings, while Gatomon, obviously, ordered a fish.

The bell attached to the top of the door rang, and in walked who was possibly the cutest little girl one could imagine, around Vincent's age with blondish-red hair and pigtails, brown eyes, and an innocent smile… dressed in an Administrator's robe. Sora recognized her as Renee, the girl who had absorbed a Commandramon when they were captured. The waiter gave her a seat, trying not to show his fear. Renee opened the menu and started reading it. Sora immediately thought of either fighting her or getting up and running, but it was too late. She turned and looked in his direction, spotting him. "Shit," he thought, "Now what!"

Renee stood, pushed in her chair, walked over to Sora's table, sat in one of the chairs, and put her elbows up on the table, resting her head on the overly-large sleeves of her robe that flopped over her hands, "Hey, I remember you! How'd you get outta that one?"

Sora swallowed hard, "I uh… Well, it's a long story."

"Don't wanna talk about it?"

"Not really…"

"'Kay," she said, giving him a bright smile, "So, whatcha been up to? I mean, I heard what happened to Adel and all, but aside from that?"

Sora could not believe that he was having such a casual conversation with such a psychotic little girl. However, he figured that she was trying to trick him into revealing something that would lead the Administrators to them, so he chose his words carefully, "Nothing, really."

"Really? Bor-ing. I bet if you all hung out with me you'd have lotsa fun!"

"Thanks, but we're quite busy," Sora said, trying his best to sound friendly. Maybe she really _was_ psychotic, or had a split personality.

"Aww phooey. Busy, busy, busy, always with the busy. That's what all the other Administrators say. They take their roles _waaaaaaay_ too seriously," she hopped off of the chair, pushed it back in, and bowed to him, "I'm gonna go back to my seat now. Bye-bye!"

Sora watched as she went back to her seat, happy as can be. He raised an eyebrow, "Gatomon… Can you provide any insight as to what I just experienced..?"

Gatomon was equally confused, "Maybe she's on break."

"That'd be a lame excuse, but maybe you're right…"

Renee called over to him, "Oh, and one more thing!"

Sora cringed, "Yeah..?"

She smiled slyly, "Tell Vincent if he ever wants to get together, I'll give 'im my number."

Sora gave her an odd look, "Um… okay..?"

"Thanks!"

Sora put his head on the table and whispered to Gatomon, "Creepy…"

"You said it," his feline counterpart said. Once they had eaten, they immediately left, running as fast as they could, heading for Datamon's lab.

Katsu walked down the very same street that Sora had just evacuated from, looking for something to pass the time while Beelzemon allowed him to do as he pleased. As he walked down the street, he spotted Renee walking the opposite way-- toward him. He ducked behind a building, "Damn, Administrators…"

Renee stopped by a kiosk on the sidewalk that was filled with candy and other sweets. Katsu raised an eyebrow and continued watching. The owner of the stand, a yellow-skinned Digimon with vine-like arms (Veggiemon), looked quite nervous when she approached. Veggiemon whimpered and held his arms in front of him, "Please! You guys don't exist on this continent anymore, so please don't corrupt me! I'm just a shop keeper!"

Renee gave him an odd look, "I just came here to buy some candy…"

Veggiemon blinked a few times and laughed sheepishly, "Well, of course you did! How silly of me… Now, what would you like, Miss?"

Katsu watched as she casually bought a lollipop from the stand. He decided he had seen enough and started to sneak away. When he heard Renee shout, "Hey wait!" he cringed and stopped. He turned around to see her going back to the stand. She held out her hand to Veggiemon, a few DigiTokens in her hands, "You gave me too much change. Here ya go!"

Katsu could not believe what he had just witnessed. The Administrators, a group with terrifying powers, endless funds, and an army of soldiers, had someone so… _cute_ in their employ. He decided to get out of there while he could. He quickly started walking down the street. Renee, who had seen him staring at her, started to follow him. Every time Katsu would check behind him, she would disappear behind someone or something. However, Katsu would not be fooled. He _knew_ someone was following him. All he had to do was wait until they screwed up. A few more minutes of following, and Renee did just that. She hesitated as he turned to look again, and she froze like a deer caught in a pair of headlights. Katsu sighed, "Can I help you?"

Renee put on the best smile she could, "Wha-What do you mean?"

"Don't play stupid. I know you were following me."

She laughed sheepishly, "Well, I uh…"

"Spit it out."

"I don't normally see humans around here that aren't Administrators. Unless you're a Tamer or something."

"I am."

"Oooooh, I see. Hey," she walked up to him, "Why not join us? We always need new recruits, ya know!"

Katsu kept walking, "Not interested."

Renee hung her head forward, "Phooey," but she immediately picked it up and followed him, "Why not?"

"I already work for someone."

"Who?"

"I can't tell you. I've probably already said too much."

Renee put her hands behind her head, "We have a good payroooooooooll…"

Katsu grunted. He was getting tired of her already, "Listen, brat, I don't have time for this."

Renee went cold, "_Brat_?"

"You heard me," Katsu said, not thinking that she would take it to an extreme. Boy was he wrong…

Renee held her arm out to the side, "No one calls me a brat," a light appeared in her hand, which materialized into the Commandramon's M-16. She pointed it at him, "and gets away with it!"

Katsu turned around and immediately dove behind a car. A burst of bullets whizzed past him as Renee pulled the trigger. He took his replacement Vulcan off of his back and jumped out as Renee reloaded, landing right in front of her and pointing the gun at her face. Renee let out what sounded like a squeak of terror, "Oh…"

"Alright, bitch," Katsu said, starting the barrels on the gun spinning, "You should _not_ have done that."

Right before he pulled the trigger, Renee reabsorbed the gun and turned it into a tower shield, which blocked the bullets. She still, however, was pushed back by the sheer power of each shot. Renee growled and lunged forward, bashing him with the shield and knocking the gun out of his hand. She reabsorbed the shield and formed a revolver in its place, "Heheheh, looks like the tables have turned."

Katsu cringed as she pulled the trigger, but nothing happened, "What the…"

Renee smiled, "One," and pulled the trigger again, "Two," and again, "Three," and again, "Four…"

Katsu realized that she was simply playing a game with him, "So you can count… Big deal."

She pulled the trigger again, "Five… Oh, dear, it looks like you have one shot to live," she slowly pulled it the last time. There was a bang, and there was smoke… but Katsu stood there, unharmed. Renee grinned, "Six," and then realized that nothing had happened, "Wh… What the hell?"

She felt a tap on her shoulder. When she turned around, she was face-to-face with a very unhappy Lupimon, "Oops…"

Lupimon kicked her down the street, knocking her into the trunk of a car. Katsu looked at Lupimon, "I assume she wouldn't have missed."

"I threw a piece of metal between you and the gun. The bullet bounced off and hit the ground," she smiled.

Katsu returned her smile, "Thanks."

Renee pulled herself out of the car, "Ooooohohoho… You did _not_ just do that to _me_…"

Lupimon gave her a bored expression, "Yeah, I kinda… did."

Renee growled furiously, materializing two submachine guns in her hands, "I'll never forgive you for this!"

Lupimon suddenly appeared right in her face, "Boo!"

Renee staggered backward, "Yeek!"

"Wow, you're a pansy."

"Pansy!"

"Yeah… So easy to scare. You sure you're an Administrator?"

Renee pointed the guns at her chest and pulled the triggers, "You die now!"

A series of clicks were heard, and Lupimon gave her a playful smile, "Forget to absorb a gun with _ammo_, did you? I assume that's why your revolver only had one bullet… Or was that just your way of tormenting your victims?"

"I prefer the latter," she said, reabsorbing the guns and replacing them with katana, "Now die!"

Lupimon dodged each strike and grabbed her by her arms, "You've got skill, I'll give you that, but you don't know how to use it."

"Don't lecture me," she switched the swords with a flame thrower and turned it on, barely missing Lupimon who jumped back as soon as she realized just what she was using. She laughed sadistically, "Now who's better, huh?"

Katsu pointed his Vulcan at her, "I am."

She froze, terrified, "Oops…"

Taking the opportunity, Lupimon kicked the gun from her hand and went to kick her in the face, but she brought up the tower shield again. Lupimon's foot hit the shield, and she screamed, "Owowowowowowow!"

Katsu started to move in closer, and Lupimon moved out of the way. The Vulcan started firing, forcing Renee into the wall of a building. He put the gun on his back, retracted his metal-clad fist, and punched the shield, denting it and sending her through the building's wall. Renee staggered out of the building, which was starting to destabilize. Katsu and Lupimon both started to move to the side. Renee walked out, obviously shaken, "What… You gonna run-run-run away from m-me..? Why I oughta--"

The building started to fall. Renee turned around, "Oh, _shit_!"

The building fell on top of her. Lupimon cringed, "Geez… I kinda hope she's ok."

"I don't," Katsu said, walking up to the wreckage.

Renee pushed a rather large rock off of her and stood, coughing, "Damn… This just isn't my day…"

Katsu pointed his gun at her, "You're right. It isn't."

She grinned, "So you think," she leapt past the gun and threw her arms around Katsu.

Katsu raised an eyebrow, "What are you--"

She placed her hands on his sides and started to absorb his life energy, just as she had absorbed the Commandramon's data, "Fool!"

Katsu screamed and quickly jumped away, "Damn…"

Renee laughed, materializing a smaller version Katsu's gun in her hand, "Let's see what it can do!"

Katsu did not cringe as she pulled the trigger. She had not absorbed enough of his body's data (even humans are made up of data in the Digital World, hence the word 'Digitalization') to recreate the ammo belt. Renee fumed, "Fuck! This _really_ isn't my day!"

Katsu started to spin his gun's barrels, "Can you die now?"

Renee snickered, "I've still got one more trick," she reached into her pocket and thrust her hand down, releasing a large smokescreen, "Those who choose to run away, live to fight another day! I'll get my revenge on you, yet!"

Katsu sighed and put his gun back on his back, "Well… That was weird, to say at the least."

Lupimon sighed, "It's too bad, really… She has a lot of potential to do a lot of good for this world, and yet she chooses to be bad."

Katsu shrugged, "I should have taken her data while I had the chance."

Sora opened the door to Datamon's lab, "Hey, guys… Guess who I just talked to a while ago."

Vincent looked over at him, "Who?"

"Renee… the Administrator."

"Did she follow you?"

"Nope. She just sat in the diner and… talked to me."

"Are you serious," Eri asked, "Just… _talked_? Not even threatened or asked you anything?"

"Well, she asked me what was up and such, but that's it… Oh, and Vincent."

Vincent yawned, "Yeah?"

"She told me to tell you… If you ever want to get together with her, she'll give you her number," Sora said with dissatisfaction.

Vincent fumed, "What! Oh, gods dammit! Can't she leave me alone?"

Renamon let out a huff and was silent. Eri turned to her, "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," she said, "Forget about it."

"O…kay, if you say so."

Vincent raised an eyebrow at Renamon, "Keeping it bottled up won't help you, ya know."

"Neither does pestering me about it," Renamon replied.

Vincent sighed and put his arm around her, "Ok, I gotcha."

"Thanks," she said, leaning into him, "You know how you _can_ help?"

"Leaving you alone, right?"

"Just let me hold you."

"R-Renamon..?"

"Like I said: You're a good teddy bear."

Eri snickered, "Oh my god, that is _so_ cute!"

Vincent blushed, "_Renamon_..!"

Renamon chuckled, "This makes up for all the times you've bothered me."

Eri was still laughing, "You two… wow. You're so cute together."

Sora tilted his head to the side, "Eri, you feeling ok? You seem so… different."

"I realized something while I've been traveling with you guys… Life's not all about problems and how to solve them. And honestly, I feel like I can show my true colors around you guys."

Sora smiled, "That's good to hear. It's bad to have stiffs in the group, 'cause they suck up all the fun like an Emo sponge."

Gatomon gave him a weird look, "This is what you think about?"

"All the time."

Vincent sighed, "At least they're distracted…"

"You wish," Renamon snickered.

"You're the meanest seven foot vixen I've met. In fact, you're the _only_ seven foot vixen I've met."

"Oh, I know," she laughed.

Wizardmon stood abruptly, "I think I'm going to go for a walk, or a fly for that matter. I won't take long."

"Just be careful," Eri said.

"Don't worry about me," he walked outside and flew away.

Eri wondered why he had left so suddenly, "What's up with him?"

"Who knows," Gatomon said, "Probably just needs some time to clear his head. He _did_ just get hit memories back recently."

"Yeah, I guess."

Wizardmon flew high into the sky, reaching the tops of the buildings. When he was a little higher than the skyscrapers, he held his staff in the air. A blue light shone from the staff to the sky, opening a glowing blue portal. Wizardmon flew through the portal, and it closed behind him. He appeared in a dark room, standing before three Digimon, each of them sitting on what looked like a throne. Their images were mere shadows to Wizardmon, but he knew who they were. The one in the middle spoke, "So, what have you come to report, Wizardmon?"

"The third Administrator, Adel, is dead, my lords," he knelt before them.

The Digimon on the right waved a hand at him, "Please, off your knees, Wizardmon. We are all friends here."

Wizardmon rose, "Thank you."

"Is there… anything else that we should know about," the middle Digimon asked.

"Well… Actually, there is something that I wanted to ask you."

"Hmm?"

"That human boy… Katsu is his name, I think… Who is he?"

"That knowledge does not concern you--"

The Digimon on the left interrupted him, "No need to be so harsh, old friend."

The middle Digimon looked at him for a moment and then nodded, "You're right. I apologize."

Wizardmon shook his head, "Worry not, my lord."

"However," the Digimon on the left said, "We know very little about this boy or his Digimon Oukamon. Who corrupted his Digivice so is still unknown to us."

"I see. Well, thank you anyway."

The middle Digimon nodded, "Is there anything else, Wizardmon?"

"Actually, there is one more thing."

"Go ahead."

"It's about Vincent and Renamon…"

"Yes, what about them?"

"I am concerned about their… well, their paths with each other."

The Digimon on the right seemed to be confused, "What do you mean?"

Wizardmon shook his head, "Their relationship with one another."

"I have not seen their behavior. What is it like?"

"I… I find trouble putting it into words, my lord. I think it best if you look for yourself."

The middle Digimon sighed, "Wizardmon, are you wasting our time with--"

"Omnimon, please," the Digimon on the right said, "Wizardmon, I will take this into consideration if you give me a good enough reason to."

"I think their relationship is going to lead to… complications."

"We are not councilors, Wizardmon," Omnimon said, "We are Royal Knights. If you have a problem with a friend, they you must handle that yourself."

"But their judgment during battle--"

"Love for another," said the Digimon on the left, "does not always lead to such… dulling of the senses in battle. There are many types of love, Wizardmon. Is that their relationship?"

"Yes."

"And what do you think will become of this?"

"Unfortunately I have seen emotions destroy others on the battlefield… I do not wish for it to happen again. That is why I sought your wise counseling…"

"Wizardmon," Omnimon said, "perhaps you should speak with your partner about this. After all, you are dealing with a human, and she is a human. And you are dealing with a Digimon, and alas, you are a Digimon."

The one on the right spoke again, "Human and Digimon relationships are not unheard of, Wizardmon. They are rare, but not unheard of. This Vincent boy… he seems like the type who will use his emotions for his benefit, not allow them to cloud his judgment. And Renamon is a seasoned fighter. She spent all of her life protecting someone she loved, though not in a romantic way. Wizardmon, I am sure your friends will be alright."

Wizardmon smiled, enlightened, "Thank you, my lords. You have been most helpful."

"As have you," Omnimon said, "Will there be anything else?"

"No, my lord. That is all."

"Then farewell, friend. If something occurs, address us again, and remember: These meetings are between us only."

"Of course, my lord," Wizardmon opened the portal again and flew through it.

Omnimon looked over at the Digimon sitting at his right, "Magnamon… How are you so knowledgeable in humans?"

"Well," Magnamon replied, "because I actually take the time to watch every so often."

"But you said you never saw how they acted."

"I've never watched _them_. I have watched other humans, throughout the years and changes in Digi-Destined, enough to know at least a little bit about them."

The Digimon on the left spoke, "Omnimon just doesn't get out enough."

Omnimon chuckled, "Gallantmon… You're probably right."

"So, what of the other Knights?"

"I will forward the situation to them. Meanwhile, Wizardmon will keep updating us on these Administrators."

The three Royal Knights sat in silence, awaiting the next event to occur…

Wizardmon returned to the city and flew back to the lab. He landed in front of the door and walked back in, "I'm back."

"Welcome back," Eri said, "Where'd ya go?"

"Just for a quick fly around the city," he said. He was instructed to tell _no one_. Not even Eri.

Renee stepped into the large room that was her master's chamber. She slowly approached the desk and the large chair that was not facing her. A booming voice came from behind the chair, "Renee… Tell me, in detail, what happened today."

That voice always gave her chills, "Um… Master Deus… Ya see, um… It's kind of a long story--"

"Don't waste my time."

"Right, sorry! Well, there was this boy who was staring at me… so I decided to follow him and ask us to join us. He said he was already working for someone, and…"

"And?"

"It led into a fight."

"What caused the fight?"

"He… well, he," she bit into one of her sleeves, muffling out the last words.

Deus turned toward her and brushed his red hair out of his face, "He what, Renee?"

Renee cringed, "He… called me a brat…"

Deus' eyes narrowed, "He called you a brat…"

"Uh huh…"

"And that gave you cause to attack him…"

"Uh… huh…"

"In the middle of the city?"

She nodded with a deepening frown.

"Where there were lots of people around…"

"Yes…"

Deus reached for a phone on his desk, "Renee, you know there are punishments for causing unrest without reasonable cause, especially if they risk the security of the Administrators."

Renee's eyes widened, "No, Master Deus, please no! I-I-I have something else to tell you! Something that you'd like!"

Deus held the phone still, but did not call the torture room, "And what is that?"

"This boy was with… Oukamon."

He dropped the phone, "Oukamon!"

"Yes. And she… Digivolved."

"She Digivolved, did she? Hmmm," Deus placed his fingers under his chin, "Renee."

"Y-Yes?"

"For this information, I will spare you. Be happy that this little incident was not without gain."

Renee got on her knees and bowed, "Thank you! You won't regret this!"

"Why do I get the feeling that I will," he asked himself. He put his hand on his forehead, "Still… Oukamon. She Digivolved for him, yet refused to for me, even though her programming is completely different from any other Digimon. Renee."

"Yes?"

He looked annoyed, "This brings up another interesting point… _Why_ weren't you at your post when this happened?"

Renee smiled cheerfully, "Oh, Master Deus, I was buying candy!"

His eye twitched, "Buying… candy…?"

"Uh huh!"

He growled, "Get. To. Your. Post. _Now_. Before I lose my temper."

Renee realized the mistake she made, "Oops…"

Deus sighed, "Are you going to _go_ or not?"

Renee quickly turned around and started to run. She stopped, quickly turned back and bowed, and continued her way out. She stopped outside and caught her breath, "I gotta stop forgetting… Or I'll be on the torture bed _again_…"

She unzipped her robe and slid the top part off, revealing a blue short sleeved shirt underneath. She lifted the sleeve past her shoulder and looked at the beginning of a long scar that ran down her back, "Leon… I'm glad you're dead."

_Later that night…_

Vincent stood outside the lab, looking out over the city and the forest that stood between. Even though they were taking a break, he could not keep his mind off of everything that had been happening. He knew that the Administrators would keep going as they rested. Renamon came outside and stood next to him, "Something wrong?"

"Huh," he looked at her and sighed.

"What is it, Vincent?"

"I… I don't think we should be sitting around while the Administrators go off killing people."

Renamon moved closer and put her arms around him, "I know how you feel, Vincent… but if we exhaust ourselves, we'll be easier to kill. It's better to let reversible things happen than irreversible."

Vincent leaned into her, "I guess so."

Renamon smiled, "Always thinking of others… You're completely different than when we met."

He blushed a bit, "You have to forgive me for the way I was… I was just scared."

"Scared?"

"Of this world… It was so different to me and, in all honesty, I was scared to death. And when I get scared, I let my pride get in the way, and that makes me act that way."

She held him closer, "I see. I get that way sometimes. You are forgiven, although it should be obvious by now."

He laughed, "I guess so."

Renamon moved in even closer, making him a bit nervous. She spoke softly, "Vincent…"

Vincent's face turned a slight shade of red, "Uhh… Renamon..?"

She knelt down to his level and moved in front of him. She slowly leaned closer. Vincent's eyes widened, "Renamon? What are you…"

Renamon stopped suddenly, as if something had just occurred to her, "What-- I-- uh…"

"What were you gonna…"

"Nothing, nothing. Just, uh," she pulled him into a hug, "this. Yeah."

Vincent did not believe her, but he decided not to pry any deeper. At least not tonight. He returned the hug with the most enthusiasm that he could in that kind of situation. He waited until she released him, which took quite a while, and then said, "Well, I think I'm gonna go inside."

"I think I'll stay out here for a while," Renamon said. She needed time to assess just what that was, before.

"Alright. Don't stay up _too_ late," Vincent laughed, walking inside.

Renamon sighed as she watched him walk inside, "What was that? Well, I _know_ what I was _going_ to do, but… what was that feeling?"

She walked over to a bench that had been put there quite a while ago and sat on it, "Why would I want to do that to Vincent? He's my Tamer, I… should know better than that," suddenly she knew why she was going to do what she was, "Oh, no… I can't be… in love with him, can I? No. No, I couldn't."

She stood and paced back and forth, "No, of course not. Humans and Digimon don't mix like that."

She heard a voice behind her, "And since when?"

She turned around and saw Eri standing behind her. She relaxed a bit, "Why are you here?"

"Well, I _was_ getting some fresh air, but I think I got some fresh _dirt_ instead," Eri snickered.

Renamon rushed up to her and grabbed her by her collar, "If you tell _anyone_…"

"Relax, I wouldn't ruin a potentially good thing."

Renamon released her and sighed, "Potentially good thing…"

"Yeah. I think you two would be perfect for each other."

"I don't."

"Why not?"

"I'm a Digimon, he's a human. I am made of digital information, and he is flesh."

"If I get things straight, in this world even humans are data, and in the human world, even Digimon are flesh."

Renamon looked away, "But… suppose it did happen. Think of what kind of children we would create…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Eri said, putting her hands on Renamon's shoulders, "Getting a bit ahead of yourself, aren't you?"

Renamon blushed, "I like to think ahead!"

"But if you think ahead about something like this, there's no surprise."

"I hate surprises…"

"But these are pleasant ones. Look, thinking ahead will only make you think of the drawbacks, most of which are not even that bad."

"Most of the drawbacks _are_ that bad."

Eri raised an eyebrow, "Not being allowed to flirt around is not the end of the world."

They heard Sora from inside, "Yes it is!"

Eri growled, "Shut up! I wasn't talking to you!"

They heard Sora laugh, and Renamon sighed, "Look, I really don't want to talk about it…"

Eri shook her head, "But that only makes things worse."

"Never has before."

"You just never noticed it."

Renamon grunted, "Look, this has nothing to do with you."

Eri would not be stopped, "You like him, don't you?"

"Wh-What?"

"Well, don't you?"

"I…"

"You said it yourself."

"I said I couldn't be."

Eri nodded, "Touché, touché… But you do."

"I do not," Renamon started to walk toward the lab, "This conversation is not only over, but it never happened."

Eri held her hand out to stop her, but she just gave up and sighed, "Man… This is only going to distract both of them on the battlefield. Then what's gonna happen?"

Sora watched Renamon walk inside with a discontented look on her face. He raised an eyebrow, "You ok?"

"I'm dandy," she said, walking into the room she shared with Vincent.

Vincent turned to her, "Oh… hey."

"Hey, yourself," she said quickly, seeming like she wanted to avoid all forms of communication.

"You don't look so good."

"I had to put up with the goth wannabe and her questions."

"Questions about what?"

She cringed and laid down, "Nothing. Forget it."

Vincent sighed, "You know, just avoiding the question won't get it off of my mind."

"I know. And?"

He growled, "Gee, thanks."

"You're welcome."

Vincent grinned evilly and laid next to her, grabbing her ears and pulling, "Tell meeeeeeeeee."

Renamon struggled, "Ah, hey! Let go of me!"

"I won't let go unless you tell me," Vincent said in a sing-song voice.

"Dammit, Vincent..!"

"What? Am I getting to you?"

She quickly turned around, freeing her ears and getting right in Vincent's face, "I'm _not_ in the mood."

For some reason, that face scared Vincent more than anything, "Ok…"

Renamon relaxed and held onto him as she normally did, "Sorry."

"Ah, don't worry about it. I kinda deserved it."

"Eh. I have better reasons to hurt someone right now," Renamon said, thinking of Eri.

Vincent thought about asking her what had gotten into her earlier, and he could think of no better time than when they were alone. "Renamon," he said, "what was with you earlier?"

She cringed, "Vincent, I'm going to be honest with you… I don't really know, myself."

"I have a feeling I know what you were going to do… My question is why."

"Dammit, I don't know. It… just seemed right at the time, that's all…"

"Um," Vincent's face turned red, "Seemed right?"

"Vincent," she whined, "I just told you I didn't know…"

He hugged her, "I know, I'm sorry."

"Believe me, I'd like to know why, too…"

"Just uh… Warn me the next time you're gonna kiss me, ok?"

She blushed deeply, "Well…"

"What?"

"Nothing," Renamon said quickly. "I'm not gonna warn you, because I think that it's what I want," she thought.

"Renamon," he said, putting his hand on hers, "If we're not honest with each other, things are going to happen. And if the past is any indication, they will be bad things."

Renamon buried her face into his shoulder, "I can't, Vincent… Not this. I have been, and will be, completely honest with you… but not about this. It's just that… I can't tell you something that I don't even know, myself."

Vincent sighed, "Alright. When you find out, don't be afraid to--"

He stopped when he heard her sobbing. She shook her head, "I'm sorry…"

"It's ok," Vincent said softly, "Go ahead and let it out."

Renamon nodded and held onto him for support. Vincent held her tightly and thought, "Man… She must have been holding this all back for years. And how can I blame her for being upset? The weight of having to protect me, save the world, defeat the Administrators… Her old Tamer being dead, these new feelings, and all the stress from everything that's been going on," he ran his hand over the top of her head comfortingly, "I envy her… I would have broken down long before this. She really is strong."

They fell asleep in each others' arms. Renamon had, indeed, been carrying all of that pain inside of her since her first adventure. Letting it all out definitely did her a lot of good…


	11. Rest Day 2

-1_Rest Day 2_

Renamon awoke in the morning to find that Vincent was still asleep. She smiled, "He may be vicious when he's fighting, but he's adorable while he's asleep."

She brushed his hair a bit and sighed. "It's too bad I had to complicate things," she thought. She sat up and looked at the mirror in their room. For some reason, looking at her reflection now was disturbing her. "Probably," she thought, "because I'm angry at myself for what I'm going to eventually do…"

She did feel a lot better, but she still worried about her feelings for Vincent. She knew that they would get in the way of her judgment in battle and in casual life, but part of her did not care. Part of her wanted to do these things, to hold Vincent in her arms and--, "No!"

Vincent stirred a bit and opened his eyes, "Renamon?"

She looked at him and gave a fake smile, "Good morning."

"Was that you yelling right now?"

"Yes, but… don't worry about it."

He stood and walked over to her, "You know I'm gonna worry anyway."

"I'm fine, really."

Vincent shrugged and shook his head, "If you say so. So, do you feel any better after last night?"

"Yes," her face turned a little red, "I do hope you were not disturbed or anything by my crying."

"Nah," Vincent said, waving his hand, "Sometimes we all have to cry."

"Even you?"

"Sure. Whoever says 'men don't cry' is full of shit. You know what kind of men don't cry?"

"Who?"

"Violent ones. They don't cry, so they take out their frustrations on others."

"I see… Well, thank you for comforting me and, not to speak of a cliché, letting me cry on your shoulder."

"Renamon," Vincent said, taking her paw in his hand and smiling, "Expect nothing less."

She smiled and hugged him, "How is it possible for someone to be so kind?"

"I dunno, but it is."

They walked into the main room and saw that no one else was in there. Vincent raised an eyebrow, "Well now… Where are they?"  
"Don't you know what time it is," asked Datamon, who had just walked into the room. He pointed at the clock. It was 2:00 PM.   
Renamon cringed, "We slept that long?"  
"Yes, indeed. You two had better not make a habit of it."  
"Ah, can it, trash can," Vincent grunted.  
Renamon sighed, "You two…"   
"So, where are the others?"  
"They all went out to do their own things. I suggest you all be careful when going out, however. I received a tip from a friend of mine that said that there are still some Administrators on this continent," Datamon said.  
"We know," Vincent said, "Her name's Renee. She's cute and all, but she's sadistic, and if you ask me she's out of her mind."  
"What is her ability as an Administrator?"   
"She absorbs the data of other beings and takes their abilities. If she defeats the right opponents, she can easily overpower us."  
"Oh dear," Datamon said, "This is not going to be easy."  
"You're not the one who should be complaining. We have to fight her, and whoever else happens to be in their crazy little group."  
"Well, there are two more Focus Towers, so logically speaking there should only be two more Administrators."  
Vincent sighed, "I sure hope so. I'm sick of fighting them."  
"And I can only imagine you are anxious to return to your world."  
Vincent looked at Renamon and then back at Datamon, "You'd be surprised."  
Renamon just smiled warmly at him and looked out the window. Datamon scratched the top of his dome-shaped head, "You… are not so anxious?"  
"I may just never go back."  
"What? Why?"  
"Because… Well, think about it. My life in the human world sucked royal ass. My real parents are dead, my foster parents hated me, I had no friends… This place is awesome. I have friends here. Real friends, like Renamon and Sora and everyone else. And unlike in the human world, I feel like I have a purpose here."  
Datamon nodded, "Never has a human wanted to stay in this world without malicious means… You are a first."

"Yeah, well hopefully we'll see no more malicious behavior once we kill off the Administrators."  
Renamon nodded, "Indeed. But let's enjoy our break while we can, alright?"  
"Yeah, I know."  
"Well," Datamon said, "I must be getting back to my work. You all have a good day now."  
Vincent and Renamon walked outside, Vincent stretching his arms into the air, "Seriously… I wonder what that Renee is cookin' up in that crazy little brain of hers."  
"I wonder," Renamon said, "why she's so fond of you."  
Vincent raised an eyebrow, "Why does that matter? She's a fourteen year old girl. Attraction and crushes come to people easily at that age."   
"Vincent… _you're_ fourteen."  
"I'm a boy."   
"And a sexist."  
"I'm only stating a well-known fact," Vincent said, shrugging.  
Renamon sighed, "You think girls are more vulnerable to attraction than boys?"  
"The young ones."  
"What about the boys, then? How easy is it for them?"  
Vincent's face turned a slight shade of red, "Well… I dunno."  
"You should know your own gender."   
"I do! It's just that…"  
"What?"  
"It's different for everyone."  
"And it's not like that for girls?"  
"I never said that…"  
"You never said otherwise, either."  
"Look, it's different for everyone, meaning boys and girls, alright? Geez…"  
Renamon laughed, "Oh, Vincent…"  
"What?"  
"You're so fun to annoy."  
Vincent grunted, "Thanks…"  
She put her arm around his shoulders, "C'mon, let's go have some fun!" 

Eri sat on a park bench with Wizardmon, Sora, and Gatomon. She leaned her head back and yawned, "Where the hell is Vincent?"   
"I bet he's still asleep," Gatomon said, "He always struck me as the lazy type."  
"That coming from someone who defines the term 'cat nap'," Sora snickered.  
Gatomon nipped his hand playfully, "Shut up."  
Wizardmon looked up at Eri, "I assume Vincent is out somewhere with Renamon."  
Eri snickered, "I coulda told you that."  
"You seem to know something that we don't," Sora said, "Mind filling us in?"   
"Oh, I would," Eri said, a sadistic smile on her face, "but I'd lose all of my bargaining power if I did."  
"_Bargaining power_? You mean you're blackmailing them?"  
"Blackmail is such an ugly word. I prefer the term 'extortion'. It rolls off the tongue better."  
Wizardmon gave her a nervous look, "I hope you're not doing anything too harmful to them…"   
"Nah. Who would I be to ruin something like that?"   
"Um… something like what?"  
"Ooooooh, nothing," Eri said, turning her attention elsewhere.  
Sora shook his head and cracked his neck, "Hey, I'm bored. Let's go find Renee and kill her."  
Gatomon looked up at him in disbelief, "Well that was sudden. You do realize that she's not the average little girl, right?"  
"Yeah, but she can't be the strongest of the Administrators."  
"I dunno… Her power lets her be very flexible in battle, so she could easily be the leader for all we know."  
Sora nodded, "Right… The whole absorption thing. I wonder what else she's managed to get her hands on."   
"Well," Wizardmon said, "think about it. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of powerful Digimon in existence. If she manages, or has managed, to get the powers of, say, WarGreymon, one of the most powerful Digimon in existence, she could easily become unstoppable."  
"So if she did get the powers of this guy, what do you think she could do?"  
"I don't know. It depends, I guess, on how much data she absorbs."  
Eri turned her attention back to the group, "I wonder, though… If she doesn't absorb all of something's data, does it just get replaced?"  
"The returning of data to a Digimon is the equivalent of healing in the human world, so I can only assume it works the same with her."  
"I see."  
Gatomon stretched and curled up next to Sora, "We shouldn't worry about it now. We've still got the rest of the week to rest."  
They all agreed and continued to relax while they could…

Vincent and Renamon had found themselves outside the city, sitting in a grassy field. They both hated loud cities, so sitting out in a field was their idea of fun. Renamon playfully grabbed him around the waist and pulled him into a hug, "So, what do you want to do?"  
"I dunno. This seems fine to me," Vincent said, allowing himself to get comfortable.  
Renamon smiled, "Good. That means I won't have to get up."  
"Well, as long as you're not bored, then we can stay like this. I'd be entertained forever."  
She laughed, "Really now?"   
"Yeah. Why's that so funny?"  
"Because normally you'd say something like 'I don't need this kind of attention' or 'Don't treat me like a plush'."  
Vincent grunted, "I never-- Ah, what's the use… I know, I normally am like that."  
"And why the sudden change," Renamon leaned over him, smiling.  
"Because I don't feel like lying today."   
"Good. Some truth for a change," Renamon snickered.   
"Ah, whatever," Vincent leaned into her and closed his eyes, "Wake me when the Digital World is saved."  
"But we need to save it."  
"Ah, let the others handle it," he laughed.   
Renamon smiled, "They need us as much as we need them, you know."  
"I know. But we've got a week off, so why worry about it now?"  
"Right. Well then, Vincent, what do you say we--," she paused for a moment and listened. She heard Vincent's heavy breathing and her eye twitched, "Did you… fall asleep..?"  
Vincent was, indeed, asleep. Renamon sighed, "Well… Goodnight, then."  
She heard footsteps behind her and turned around, putting herself in front of Vincent. She saw Renee standing there, smiling innocently as ever. The little girl spoke, "Hiya!"  
Renamon growled, "What do you want?"  
"Wha? Why so angry?"  
"Because you're an Administrator, and you obviously want to kill or corrupt us."   
"I'm not here to fight. I just saw Vincent here and thought I could talk to him," her innocent smile changed to a sly one, "'Cause ya know, he and I need to get to know each other."   
"He's sleeping right now, and even if he wasn't, I doubt he'd want to talk to you after your little gun toting incident," Renamon said, never taking her eyes off of her.  
The little girl scowled, "You're being unfair. I only wanna play."   
"Play time with you is like war time."  
"So I play rough. He seems the type to like rough girls."  
Renamon snarled, "_Leave_!"  
Renee recoiled, "Hey, come on… Don't be like that. All I want to do is talk to him."   
"Too bad. You're a murderer and an evil little urchin!"  
"_Urchin_! Oh, you're gonna get it now, foxy," she held out her hand, materializing her new Vulcan, which now had ammunition. She laughed sadistically, "Let's see you handle this!"  
Renamon knew she was outmatched, "Vincent, wake up!"  
Vincent opened his eyes, "Wha..?"   
"We have company!"  
He quickly stood and got his sword ready. When he saw who their attacker was, his eye twitched, "Oh _come on_! Why you!"  
Renee raised an eyebrow, "Whaddaya mean?"  
"You're creepy enough without the gun!"  
"Well I hope you like creepy girls then, because you and I are gonna make a good couple one day."  
Vincent coughed, "Excuse me?"  
"That's right. Vincent, from the moment I saw you I knew I was in love with you," she said, quite melodramatically. She knelt down, dropping the gun and holding her arms out to him, "So I ask of you… Nay, beg of you… Please, Vincent, will you be my boyfriend!"  
Something in Renamon's mind snapped, "What!"  
Vincent's eye twitched, "I can't believe… she just asked me that…"  
Renee stayed put, "Please, Vincent! We are meant to be together!"   
"The only thing you're _meant_ to be is in a mental institution!"  
"But that does not answer my question!"   
"Here's your _answer_! It starts with an 'N' and ends with an 'O'."  
Renee paused for a moment, her face turning blank. Then tears flooded her eyes, "Wha… Wha…"   
Vincent cringed, "Oh, gods no…"  
Renee leaned her head back, tears streaming down her face, "WHAAAAAAAAAAA!"  
Renamon looked in disbelief, "This is an Administrator..?"  
Vincent shook his head, "I'm as shocked as you are…"  
Renee fell on her side, stuttering and sobbing, "He-He said n-no-no-no…"   
Vincent scratched the back of his head, "Is it bad for me to feel sorry for her?"  
"Yes," Renamon said coldly.  
"What's wrong with you?"  
"Nothing."  
Renee sat back up, growling, "You…"  
Vincent swallowed hard, "Uh oh…"   
She picked up her gun and stood, "You made me cry… No one makes me cry!"  
Vincent knew that she was angry now, "Renamon, I suggest you Digivolve!"  
"Right," Renamon leapt into the air. Vincent's Digivice started to glow, and Renamon's body reshaped itself. "Renamon Digivolves to… Kyubimon!"   
Kyubimon landed and stood in front of Vincent, "You want him, you have to get through me!"  
"Fine then," Renee said, starting the Vulcan's barrels spinning, "I'm gonna enjoy killing you!"  
Kyubimon leapt at her, gathering flames into her tails, "Fox Tail Inferno!"  
Renee jumped back, away from the fireballs, and started firing, "Die, fur ball!"  
Kyubimon moved to the side, and Vincent jumped into the air. He landed next to Renee, swinging his sword, "Die, psycho!"  
Renee ducked and absorbed her gun, changing it into a sword, "You may kill me today, Vincent, but the physical pain will be nothing compared to you ripping my heart out today!"  
"Boo freakin' hoo! Let me tell you something," he swung his sword again and she parried, "Love hurts! Get over it!"  
Renee growled, "Well it shouldn't! Not when it should be so perfect!"   
"Only you think that!"  
Kyubimon leapt in, "Dragon Wheel!"  
Vincent got away, leaving Renee to be engulfed by the flames. He joined his partner, "Is she…"  
"Not by a long shot."  
Renee stepped out of the flames, barely hurt at all. She laughed sadistically, "You think a puny attack like that can hurt me? I've survived Mega level Digimon before. What makes you think you can defeat me?"  
Vincent went cold, "Mega… level..?"  
"Yes. It's a shame I wasn't able to absorb more of their data than I did, but this will have to suffice," she held out her hands, and two large clawed orange gauntlets appeared over her arms.  
Kyubimon gasped, "Those are…"  
Renee laughed, "Yes. WarGreymon's Dramon Destroyers! These are weak and fragile in comparison to the real thing, but only because the cowardly lizard fled before I could get the whole thing."  
Vincent took a step back, "Kyubimon… I think we should run."  
"Yeah… Me too," Kyubimon said, moving closer to him and letting him get on her back.  
Renee grinned, "Going somewhere? I'll show you," she held her arms into the air and started to gather energy from everything around her into the palms of the Dramon Destroyers.  
Kyubimon leapt into the air, "Hold on!"  
The energy formed into a large ball, and Renee hurled it at them, "Gaia Force!"  
Kyubimon flew as fast as she could, but the large energy ball was closing in on them, "Dammit! Vincent, prepare for impact!"  
Suddenly a large boulder flew up from down below, crashing into the energy ball, causing it to explode. Renee growled, "Who did that!"   
She looked at where the boulder came from and spotted two people, a human and a Digimon, standing there. It was Katsu and Oukamon's Ultimate form, Matrimon. Renee started to gather another energy ball, "You wanna die too, huh! Fine by me!"   
Matrimon leapt at her and kicked her in the face, sending her flying backward. Katsu joined her, followed by Vincent and Kyubimon. Vincent got back on the ground and stood by Katsu, "Well, I can't exactly say I expected you to be helping us, but thanks."  
Katsu crossed his arms, "Hmph. It's not like I don't have a reason."  
"And what is your reason?"   
"If you die, that's one less person who can kill her."   
"Right. Sounds good enough to me."  
Renee stood, "Damn you for interfering… This isn't over!"  
She absorbed the Dramon Destroyers and disappeared as she had before, in a cloud of smoke. Katsu sighed and started to leave, "Matrimon, let's go."  
"Hey," Vincent said, "Why don't we work together? I mean, we're working toward the same goal, basically, so why not join forces?"  
Katsu let out a huff that may have been a laugh, "I don't work well with others. Just make sure you're at the Focus Towers when I am so I can get their data."  
"Why do you want it, anyway?"  
"Well now… That would be telling."  
"Then next time we meet, we're enemies."  
Kyubimon de-Digivolved and joined them, "Why though?"  
"Because," Vincent said, "we don't know his motives or intentions. And besides, he _did_ attack us before."  
"True…"  
"It's fine by me," Katsu said, walking away, "I can use the entertainment."

Matrimon sighed, "I guess this is how it has to be. I'll follow you wherever you go, Katsu."

"I know. Thanks."

Vincent let his head fall forward, "Damn… That was one helluva close call."

Renamon shook her head, "At least we survived."

"Honestly though… WarGreymon's Dramon Destroyers… We have our work cut out for us."

"At least she didn't get the whole things."

Vincent sighed, "Yeah. Well, let's go and do something that doesn't involve violence for a change."

"Agreed," Renamon said, walking with him toward the city. She looked back at Katsu and thought, "Where do I… know him from..?"

The day passed as normal, with no further interruptions, much to the relief to the Tamers. This continued to be until two days later…


	12. Rest Day 4

-1_Rest Day 4_

Katsu sat on his bed, holding his head in his hands as he thought. Thinking was pretty much all he did to pass the time between missions. Oukamon walked in, "It's a shock that you actually have something left to think _about_, you do it so much."

"Right," he said sarcastically, "You have any better ideas?"

"How about we go out and have some fun? I know that 'fun' doesn't exist in your dictionary, but maybe you should unwind a bit."

"Even if I said yes, what would we do?"

"I dunno. That's up to you."

Katsu sighed, "You're not helping."

Oukamon shook her head and walked out of the room, "Just a suggestion."

Katsu stood and walked down the halls into Beelzemon's chamber. Beelzemon watched him approach, "Something you need?"

"I'm bored," Katsu replied, "You need anything done?"

"Hmmm," Beelzemon thought for a moment, "Well, those Digi-brats haven't been getting anything done lately, so I figured someone should go and stir them up again… You know, get them back into fighting."

"If I attack them, do you think they'll go back to fighting the Administrators?"

Beelzemon nodded, "Right… They'll just try to find you."

A dark and deep voice came from the hallway to the left, "Then let me do it. I'll get them to fight."

Beelzemon turned to the voice, "BlackWarGreymon, I know your loyalty is unparalleled, but as for your self-control… That is another issue."

BlackWarGreymon, a dark variant to the Mega level dinosaur Digimon, stepped into the room, "Lord Beelzemon, give me a chance. I will prove that I can be of use to you."

Beelzemon thought for a moment and then nodded, "Very well, but do not kill them. If you do, then you will die."

"Of course," BlackWarGreymon said. He walked past Katsu, "Don't interfere, human. I've been waiting for a chance to fight."

Katsu let out a gruff, sarcastic laugh, "Go ahead. Fight to your heart's content."

BlackWarGreymon exited the building and took to the sky, "Those kids will never see me coming…"

Vincent walked into the main room of the lab where the others were. He knew he had gotten up early, but had not bothered to check the time. He rubbed one eye sleepily, "Morning, all."

"Well, well, well," Sora said, "Has the sleeping 'beauty' finally woken up?"

"Spare me. What time is it?"

"2:30."

"Gods damn…"

Renamon chuckled, "I would have woke you up, but I knew you were tired after yesterday."

"And you weren't? You did most of the fighting," Vincent said.

"I guess I just make better use of my rest cycle, then."

Gatomon chimed in, "Or Vincent's just lazy."

"Can it, Catnip," Vincent growled.

Sora sighed, "I'm still trying to figure out why you two are always at each others' throats…"

"Because she's an evil little kitty."

Gatomon snickered, "I just can't resist making fun of the less intelligent. Is that so horrible?"  
"Why I oughta--!"

Eri very calmly held out her hand as Vincent lunged, blocking him, "Calm down, she's just kidding."

"Yeah… right."

Wizardmon sighed, "Anyway… What should we do today?"

"Well," Renamon said, "seeing as what happened yesterday, I suggest we all try to stay together. If Renee is still out there, she will definitely be after us."

"Yeah, about that," Sora started.

"She got mad at me because, well," Vincent said, trailing off.

"Why?"

"Because I… rejected… her…"

Sora raised an eyebrow, a grin appearing on his face, "You're not serious…"

"Yeah. I am."

Sora laughed, "That's the most bullshit reason--"

"Hey, you think I don't think that too? Geez," Vincent scowled, "It's not like it's you who has to deal with it."

"So… what exactly happened?"

"Do you _really_ need to know?"

"No, but I'd like to."

Vincent sighed, "I really don't want to talk about it…"

Sora shrugged, "Your choice."

"Damn right."

Wizardmon cleared his throat, "So… Any ideas?"

Vincent's eyes brightened, "Hey, I know."

"Hm?"

"Let's go to the coast. You know, where the boat to the other continents are. There's a beach there, right?"

"Yes."

"So? I think you know what I'm getting at."

"You're suggesting we go to the beach," Renamon said, "It sounds like a good idea to me."

"Wait," Sora said, "You two are agreeing on something? That can't be good…"

Gatomon snickered, "If we go to the beach, that means I can bury people…"

"Just don't mistake it for a litter box," Vincent said with a smirk.

Gatomon scowled, but smiled again, "Ok, I'll admit, you got me this time… But that will be the only time."

"Damn. I was fully expecting an angry outburst or something."

"Nah. I won't give you the pleasure."

Sora laughed, "Now, now, you two."

Eri turned to Vincent, "You're forgetting something."

"What?"

"Bathing suits."

Vincent let his head hang forward, "Oh yeah…"

"It's not like humans come here on vacation or anything. I doubt there's any store that sells such things."

"True," Renamon said, "However, no one ever said there wasn't one that won't _make_ them."

"Won't that cost more?"

"Don't worry about the cost. I can handle that."

"I figure working for Datamon isn't worth spending all your money like this," Vincent said.

"You _really_ don't like him, do you?"

"Nah, I just like to make fun of him. He's easy to annoy."

Renamon sighed, "Sadistic little…"

"Oh, whatever. Like he hasn't annoyed me at all…"

"Just… drop it, ok?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Sora sighed, "Ok, so assume there is a store like this. Do you _know_ of one?"

Renamon scratched the back of her head, "I might. It's not so much of a shop as it is an old friend."

"Right. And the location?"

"She's on this continent, I know that much. Whether she's in the same place or not is the question."

"Great," Sora sighed, "We're going off of a hunch."

"I don't see you with any great ideas!"

"Ok, ok, geez…"

With no other leads to go off of, they followed Renamon's directions. She led them to the outskirts of the city where the line of buildings slowly began. A single wooden cottage sat between two larger stone buildings. Vincent raised an eyebrow, "Well this is out of place…"

"This is where she used to live. I hope she's still here," Renamon said. She walked up to the door and knocked.

The door opened, revealing a woman Digimon in a black and red robe, a red steeple hat on her head with bells dangling from the top like a jester's hat, and a long broom in her hand. Her hands were covered in long red gloves that traveled up her arms. Streaks of blond hair could be seen behind her robe's folds. She looked perplexed for a moment and then threw her arms around her visitor, "Renamon! It's been so long!"

Renamon returned the hug, "Indeed it has."

Wizardmon, upon seeing who she was, pointed a threatening finger at her, "You!"

The red-clad Digimon looked at him and glared, gently pushing Renamon to the side, "_You_!"

"So I finally found you! You're going to pay for embarrassing me like that all those years ago!"

"It's not _my_ fault you're a shrimp of a Digimon! A Champion level for that matter!"

Wizardmon pointed his staff at her, "Why you little..! Magical Game!"

The other Digimon held her hands out in front of her, materializing a rush of water from seemingly nowhere, "Aquari Pressure!"

The two energies collided and dispersed. Renamon stepped between them, "Hold on! _What_ is going on here?"

Wizardmon growled and stood normally again, "Witchmon…"

Witchmon smiled, "Wizardmon."

Renamon sighed in relief, "Ok, let's all calm down… Mind explaining the situation?"

"Sure, but let's all go inside," Witchmon said. She smiled at Wizardmon, "Will you be coming in, too, or will your stubborn pride keep you from doing so?"

"I go where my partner goes," Wizardmon growled.

Witchmon shrugged, "As you will. But I warn you: Break anything in my house and I'll send you back to the magic show you came from."

"Excuse me," Eri said, trying to be as polite as possible while she was angry, "Please don't treat him that way."

"Very well, my dear. As long as he keeps his cool, so shall I."

"Thank you."

Wizardmon walked next to Eri, "Don't bow down to her like that."

"Well, we _are_ guests in her house," Eri said, "It's improper to be rude to your host."

"You're right…"

Vincent looked around as she led them inside, noticing several strange objects such as vials and odd plants he had never seen before, "Quite a collection of odds and ends you've got…"

"Well, I _am_ a witch. Those are all components of one thing or another," Witchmon said. She led them into the living room and had them sit, "Can I offer anyone something to drink?"

"Actually," Renamon said, "we've come to ask a favor."

"Alright then, but first we need to catch up, you and I! It's been so long!"

Renamon smiled, "Well, I had been quite busy in my absence."

"I can only imagine. Oh! But first, I should tell you what happened between Wizardmon and I before I forget."

"She'll probably just put it in a way she would have liked it to happen," Wizardmon scowled, "Perhaps it would be better if _I_ told them?"

"Oh, poor little Wizardmon… Have I _ever_ lied to you?"

Wizardmon growled, "Go ahead and tell them…"

Witchmon smiled, "Well, it's a funny story, actually--"  
"Funny to you…"

"Will you shut up and let me tell them!"

Wizardmon recoiled, "Right, sorry!"

Witchmon cleared her throat, "Anyway, Wizardmon had fallen in with kind of a bad crowd. He didn't realize it at first, which shocked me beyond all belief. Most people would be able to tell just by looking at them. I don't remember what his excuse was--"

"I was having a hard time with life, and they used that to make me part of their violent little group."

"Right, right, whatever. Anyway, they were looking to get their hands on some of my magic so they could go and cause all sorts of trouble. Wizardmon here was late to the meeting so they left without him. By the time he got here, his 'buddies' were all K.O.'d on the floor," Witchmon started giggling, "So he got all mad and said something like 'How _dare_ you harm my friends like that! I'll see you dead!' And so I wound up teaching him just who the stronger mage was, right Wiz?"

Wizardmon growled, "It was an embarrassment to be beaten by such a carefree ditz like you!"

Witchmon prodded his forehead with her broom's handle, "Aaah, but whose fault was it in the first place, hmmm? Who was it who tried to steal from whom, huh? Huh?"

Wizardmon pushed the broom away, turned away from her, and crossed his arms, "I refuse to speak of this ever again!"

Eri sighed, "And here I thought she was just picking on him… I never thought she'd have a reason."

"Not you too," Wizardmon whined.

Eri put her arm around his shoulders, "Ah, I won't make fun of you."

"Thank you…"

Witchmon sighed, "Well, it's all in the past, right?"

"I still don't quite like you, but I suppose," Wizardmon said.

Gatomon blinked a few times, "I've never seen this side of him before…"

"Neither have I," Renamon laughed.

"Just what's so funny," Wizardmon asked.

"I've never seen you so… well, contemptuous."

"Well, you won't see it too often, I hope."

Witchmon cleared her throat, "So then, what's this favor you wanted to ask?"

"Well," Renamon said, "you're still into making clothing, right?"

"Yeah. I make my own clothes, I think you can tell."

"Yes, indeed. Could I bother you with a request?"

"Renamon, my friend, I'd be honored!"

"Well, my friends and I were planning on heading to the beach for the remainder of our break, but the humans in our group do not have the proper garments for such an occasion."

Vincent mumbled, "Geez, Renamon, who're ya tryin' to impress, using all those big words?"

Renamon hit Vincent on the head, "_So_, that is what I have come to ask of you, Witchmon. Could you possibly make some for my friends?"

Witchmon smiled, "Consider it done."

Renamon handed her a few coins, each about the size of a quarter, "This should be enough to compensate for the materials you use."

Witchmon shook her head, "No, no, don't worry about it."

"But I--"

"Consider this a personal favor, my friend."

Renamon hesitated, but complied and put the money away, "If you insist… But I _am_ paying you back for this somehow."

"Fine, fine," Witchmon said, "If you can think of something, go right ahead. If not, then don't worry about it."

"Thank you," Renamon said, bowing.

"Ah, Renamon, always so proper. We're having a buddy-to-buddy chat, not negotiating some kind of treaty!"

Renamon smiled, "You're right. I'll try to unwind a bit."

"Good, good," Witchmon said. She looked over at Vincent and then at Renamon, "So, I see you two try to stay close together. Something going on?"

Vincent and Renamon both blushed. Renamon cleared her throat, "I'm his-- he's my--"

"I'm a Tamer," Vincent cut in, trying to prevent any suspicion that would arise from Renamon's stuttering.

Witchmon gasped, "Renamon, you're in the whole partner business again?"

"Y-Yes," Renamon said, doing her best to calm herself down.

"I didn't think you would after… Well, you know."

"Yes… after Rika was killed."

Vincent put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, "If you don't mind my asking… how did she die?"

Renamon leaned into him, "Well… I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you. We're supposed to be honest with each other, after all."

"Yeah, but if the memory is too painful to talk about, I don't want you to get upset."

Renamon shook her head, "No, no. It's fine. It was a night like any other. Rika was sitting in her room doing her homework, and I was out looking over the city. Suddenly I sensed that she was in danger, so I ran back as quick as I could… but I was too late. I pursued the man who killed her, but he escaped."

"Why would… anyone want to kill a young girl like that?"

"I don't know. He was no ordinary murderer. He was fast. At the time, faster than me. After she died, I spent the rest of my days here in the Digital World. I received reports that not only Rika was killed, but every other major Tamer and Digi-Destined and most of their partners, too."

"You think it was the Administrators?"

"I don't know. It may have been."

Sora looked down at Gatomon, "Was your Tamer killed, too?"

"No, she was always very sick… and one day it just got to be too much for her," Gatomon said sadly.

"Ah, I see. I'm sorry to hear that."

She shook her head, "I'm over it, for the most part."

Renamon sighed, "It's unfortunate… but I am almost certain the Administrators had something to do with it."

"It wouldn't shock me," Vincent said, "Think about it. The original Tamers and Digi-destined and their Digimon were really strong, right? I mean they all eventually reached Mega level?"

Gatomon shook her head, "Actually, there are very few of the destined Digimon who reached Mega level. Only two of our group did: WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. Even the second group I was in only had one Mega level: Imperialdramon. I might be forgetting something, but this is all that comes to mind."

Renamon nodded, "Every Digimon in our group reached Mega level, but it was not like an ordinary Digivolution."

Gatomon looked inquisitive, "How so?"

"Well, from what I understand, normally Digimon just Digivolve to Mega level normally, or they go straight to it."

"Warp Digivolution."

"Right. However, there were four Digimon that Digivolved differently in our group: Guilmon, Terriermon, Cyberdramon, and myself. Respectively, they all became Gallantmon, SaintGalgomon, and Justimon."

Wizardmon thought, "I see… So, Gallantmon was once partnered with a Tamer…"

"What about you," Vincent asked.

Renamon smiled, "Sakuyamon."

"So how did you Digivolve differently," Gatomon asked.

"Well, we required a lot of power to do it. Most of the power came from specialized cards that were scanned by the Digivice. Humans saw it as the Digimon card game."

Vincent raised an eyebrow, "There was a Digimon card game?"

"A while back. They discontinued it when we departed for the Digital World again."

"I… see."

"Anyway, even with the powers of these cards, we still had only half of the power we needed to Digivolve. So we merged with our partners in a process called Biomerging."

"So you and your partner actually became one?"

"Yes. As I recall, it is a pleasant feeling, in which both minds and bodies merge, and every thought of one being becomes apparent to the other."

Vincent nodded, "Interesting. Hey, will we, uh, well--"

"Most likely. I doubt I can Digivolve without Biomerging, so yes."

"Will you become something different?"

She crossed her arms and thought for a moment, "You know… I never really thought about that. Perhaps I--we-- will become something different… stronger, perhaps."

"Interesting, indeed…"

Gatomon laughed, "Vincent's not at all nervous or too proud to become predominately female when you Biomerge with Renamon?"

"Shut up, fur ball! I have pride, but it wouldn't hurt it any. As long as it's with Renamon, I couldn't care less."

Eri snickered, "Gee, I wonder why."

"You can shut up too…"

"Hehe, I know I _can_…"

Wizardmon laughed, "Now, now, children…"

Witchmon let out a sarcastic gasp, "A comment! From the cold, bitter Wizardmon! And a _smile_! What _is_ this world coming to?"

Wizardmon grunted, "Quiet…"

"I'm just playing with you," she said, pushing him playfully.

Sora scratched the back of his head, "So uh… Gatomon… You never reached Mega level?"

"Well, I did once, but I didn't fight or anything," Gatomon said, recalling her assistance in the battle with the corrupted Cherubimon.

"And… we won't Biomerge and become predominately female, riiiiiiight?"

"No, Sora," she said with an annoyed tone, "we won't Biomerge and become predominately female. In fact, we won't Biomerge at all."

"So you can Digivolve without it?"

"Yep!"

"Thank god," Sora sighed, "No offense or anything, but I find the concept of merging with a woman and looking like one, for whatever length of time, offensive and gender-threatening."

Eri cracked up, "Oh my _god_, Sora, you are _hilarious!"_

"Hey, shut up! How would you like it if you merged with Wizardmon!"

"Actually, I wouldn't mind at all…"

"Oh, yeah, that's right. I forgot. Because girls are _weird_ like that."

Eri growled, "Just remember who raises your goddamn children while you're out drinking."

Vincent's eyes widened, "She'd be a scary housewife…"

Renamon laughed and nodded. Eri sighed, "In any case… Wizardmon, would we have to Biomerge?"

"Hmmm… I don't know," Wizardmon said, "I have never Digivolved to Mega before. I assume that only Renamon would have to do so, seeing as she is a much younger Digimon than I. She was created when the Digital World was in a newer version."

Vincent raised his eyebrows, "You're kidding…"

"Hmm?"

"The Digital World has versions? Like a computer?"

"Of course. Different things come into and out of play all the time in the Digital World. When that happens, we consider it a version change."

"Wow… And I thought it was more than just some computer."

Renamon hit him on the head, "It _is_."

"Ok, ok… ow."

Witchmon stood and walked out of the room with a smile, "I must excuse myself. I'll get to work on those garments you requested. You all can stay here as long as you like."

"Thank you," Renamon said.

Vincent instinctively leaned against Renamon and thought aloud, "So, the Administrators are behind the killing of the other humans associated with Digimon. Does that mean they'll send someone after us?"

"What do you think they've been doing? Every soldier we face is meant to kill or corrupt us."

"I guess so…"

"We shouldn't worry. This continent is, for the most part, safe from the Administrators. With one very annoying exception…"

Vincent sighed, "Renee."

Eri let herself fall on her back, "Something troubles me about her. Why isn't she ever at a tower?"

"Who knows," Sora shrugged, "She does kinda seem absent minded, though."

"That might be it."

Gatomon rested her hand on her paw, "Not to bring up a closed topic again… but you know the whole thing where Vincent and Renamon will eventually Biomerge? Well, what does that leave the other humans in the group to do while the Mega level Digimon are all fighting?"

"You present a good point," Wizardmon said, "Sora has a gun, and Eri has a kusarigama… But I doubt they would be effective against a larger Digimon, or whatever the final Administrator can throw at us."

Sora raised an eyebrow, "I thought we all thought that Renee was the leader. Didn't she get her ass kicked?"

"It is true that she was beaten once before, but never was she slain. Besides, you saw the abilities she was using. Imagine how many more she could possess."

Vincent nodded, "Ok, so we have that fresh in our minds… That still doesn't help."

"I'm sure we'll think of something," Renamon said, closing her eyes.

Sora shook his head, "I hope I'll have _some_ use when the time comes. My gun will probably be useless, and as I said before, there's no way in hell I'm merging with a female Digimon, even if the opportunity presents itself."

"Yes, Sora, we know," Eri laughed.

"Speaking of weird merging of the sexes… Vincent!"

"What," Vincent asked, a bit shocked at his shouting.

"Why are you so _calm_ about that whole idea?"

"Why are _you_ so jumpy about it?"

"Because I'm proud to be a man," Sora said, shaking his head.

"I am, too."

"Really? And you call willingness to merge with a female proof?"

"Oh for god's sake, Sora. Grow up. Ok, you want me to show you _just_ how you're acting?"

Renamon opened one eye, "What on Earth are you talking about?"

"Yeah, that's what I'd like to know," Sora said.

Vincent grinned and spoke in the highest, most exaggerated child-like voice he could, "OOH GIRLS HAVE COOTIES, VINCENT! DON'T MERGE OR YOU'LL GET 'EM, TOO!"

Sora growled, "Take that _back_!"

"Why? It's basically what you're saying!"

"I'm gonna _kill_ you," Sora shouted lunging at Vincent.

Gatomon grabbed him by his shirt and, shockingly, was easily able to hold him back, "It's not worth fighting over. Besides, remember there are a lot of fragile things in here."

"Yeah, yeah…"

Vincent snickered and leaned into Renamon, "Go ahead and be pissed. You're just being a baby."

Eri shook her head, "And I thought _I_ made fun of people."

"You ain't seen nothin'."

Renamon sighed, "I'm surrounded by mindless idiots…"

"Who's mindless," Vincent asked, grinning.

"Oi… Forget it."

Eri stood and stretched, "I think I'm gonna go outside for a while."

"Don't go too far."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Eri said, waving her off and walking out.

Renamon sighed, "She doesn't know if anything's out there or not."

"She just won't care until it affects her directly," Wizardmon said. He laughed a bit, "She'll be fine."

Eri walked with her hands behind her head, sitting near some bushes and trees a short distance from the house. She had needed to get out of the crowded room before she had gotten claustrophobic. She sighed with relief, "Finally, some fresh air… They're a great group of people and all, but anyone can get annoying at times…"

She brushed her hair out of her face and sighed, "I wonder… You haven't been showing up lately. Are you gone?"

She felt a breeze of ice cold air pass across her neck and she froze for a moment. When it was gone, she relaxed, "Well, that answers my question."

A sound to her right startled her and she stood, weapon in hand, "Who's there?"

A man stepped out from the brush. It was Katsu. He nodded to her, "Mind if I sit here?"

Eri gripped the hilt of her weapon tightly, "Why are you here? Spying on us?"

"Oh, please. There's nothing for me to know that I don't already."

She paused, but eventually said, "Fine, sit. But don't expect me to go easy on you if you try to pull a fast one. _No one_ survives a mistake like that with me."

Katsu sat, "Does that mean you have killed before?"

"Administrators and Digimon who were stupid enough to try and make me a part of their little game."

"You're part of it now, are you not?"

"Yeah, but I _chose_ to be a part of it this time. Not that it's any of your business."

"I see."

Eri turned to him, her eyes blazing, "What do you _really_ want, gunner!"

"Simply to converse. I am intrigued with your group. I have wanted to at least have the chance to speak with one of you before you all die."

"I think you've got your stories mixed up. We're _not_ dying."

"Believe what you want."

"Why did you want to talk to us?"

"So I can understand you better. One would say 'Know thy enemy'."

Eri growled, "And why me?"

"The men in your group would simply kill me on sight. It's how they are."

She pressed her kusarigama to his throat, "And I _won't_?"

Katsu let out what could have been a laugh, but Eri could not tell. He remained calm, even with the weapon so close to him, "You didn't before. That combined with the way you're breathing, your muscle movements, and eye movements, I can safely assume that there is a good chance that you won't kill me."

Eri let out a feral snarl, "I'm not _like_ most humans, you worm!"

"Then what are you like?"

"A demon."

"Flattering yourself will not help."

"I'm basing it off of what others tell me," Eri growled. There was a cold wind, "You had better stop making me angry. It may cost you your life."

Katsu chuckled in a sinister yet confident way that only made Eri angrier, "Well now… Why is that?"

"Look behind you."

Katsu turned around to see the large shadow beast that had freed the others from the Administrators' prison. He pointed his gun at it, only to have it batted away. The beast went to pounce him and end his life, but Eri held out her hand, "Stop."

The thing was not intent on listening to her. It stomped over to Katsu with its huge clawed feet and lifted him in the air. Eri's eyes narrowed, "I said _stop_!"

The thing cringed. There was a strange energy between them for a moment, and it faded away, letting Katsu drop to the ground. He stood and picked up his gun, "Interesting. So, that is how you survived for this--"

Eri grabbed him by his throat and squeezed hard, "I _survived_ on the sheer thought that I might be rid of that thing, and don't you forget it!"

She threw him back and he gasped a few times. He cleared his throat, "You have a lot of strength, I'll give you that. However, can you control it?"

"What the fuck do _you_ care!"

"I don't. _I_ am just curious," he started to walk away, "Let's speak again some time. How much longer do you intend to avoid fighting the Administrators?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"In all honesty, there is no harm in doing so."

"Fine. Three days, not counting today."

"I see," Katsu turned and started to leave, "Come here same time tomorrow if you would like to speak to me again."

"I can't tomorrow."

"Then the next day, perhaps?"

Eri crossed her arms, "I'll see."

"Good. I hope to see you then," Katsu said. He walked toward the city and disappeared over the hills.

Eri growled, "Why does he want to talk so badly, anyway? He's just a no-good maniac with a gun. Still, I might be able to get some kind of information out of him."

She walked back to the house as the sun set. The last thing she needed was to be attacked by a crazy night dweller…


	13. Rest Day 5

-1_Rest Day 5_

The next morning, they awoke to find Witchmon sitting asleep in her rocking chair. Vincent snickered, "She reminds me of an old lady."

Renamon hit him on the head, "Don't be rude."

"You know, I _probably_ have some kind of concussion by now, you do that so much."

"Maybe you'll forget how to be rude then."

"Maybe _you'll_ forget how to be a bitch," he mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Sora laughed, "Owned."

"Shut up, Mr. Manly Pride!"

Eri grabbed them both by their hair and smacked their heads together, "Quiet. You'll wake her up."

Witchmon yawned and opened one eye, "They could wake the dead…"

"Sorry," Vincent and Sora said.

"Don't worry about it. I needed to get up anyway. Oh! Before I forget, the bathing suits you wanted are all finished."

"That was fast," Renamon said with a smile, "Then again, you _are_ the best tailor I know."

"Oh, don't start," Witchmon laughed. She handed Sora, Vincent, and Eri a bathing suit for each of them. They were quite well made, and seemed to fit the style that humans normally wore.

"So, how did you know what worked for humans? I doubt the Administrators make any kinda requests for you," Vincent said.

"Well, Renamon told me. She's been to the human world on multiple occasions. Besides, her last partner's mother was a fashion freak."

Renamon smiled, though it looked a bit nostalgic, "Yes, she was."

Vincent put on the best non-sympathetic smile as he could, so she would not worry about him worrying about her (complicated, eh?), and took her paw in his hand, "Well, that's convenient, huh?"

"Yes, indeed."

Eri examined her finished garment. It was a two-piece, which immediately made her flushed, but she hid it. She would not show ingratitude to someone who had so quickly taken them in and did them a favor without even once asking for payment. She bowed to Witchmon, "Arigatou gozaimasu (Japanese: Polite way of saying "Thank you")."

"You're most certainly welcome," Witchmon said with a big, cheerful smile.

"So," Renamon said, "Witchmon, would you like to come with us?"

Witchmon tilted her head to the side, "Eh, I dunno… I'm not beach material, ya know."

"Oh, don't be bashful. Come on, come with us."

"Yeah, really," Vincent said, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, you know."

"Who's Jack," Witchmon asked.

Renamon shrugged, "No idea…"

Vincent's eye twitched, "It's an expression."

Sora laughed, "Vincent's too stupid to realize the differences between this world and the other."

"Sora's too scared of losing his pride to Biomerge."

Sora growled, "I swear…"

Eri laughed, "He's gonna hold that to you forever. In fact, so am I."

"Not if you're both dead…"

"Oooooh I'm soooo scaaaared of the big, bad Soraaaaaaa," Eri teased.

Sora hit her on the head, "Shut up!"

"Owie…"

Gatomon jumped up and hit Sora on the head, "Hey, no hitting girls!"

"Even if they're incredibly annoying, blackmailing, stupid, evil ones," Sora asked.

"Well… Yes."

"I hate you."

"No ya don't."

Witchmon sighed, shook her head, and smiled, "Well, I guess there's no arguing with you guys. Sure, I'll go with you."

"You need the rest. All you ever seem to do is sit in here and tinker with spells and such anyway," Renamon said.

"Hey, I'm a _witch_. It comes with the territory."

_About an hour later…_

The beach was nice. The sand was clean and the water was clear, unlike most of the beaches in the human world. Vincent marveled at the beauty of it, "Wow… I've never seen such an awesome beach. This might as well be a tropical paradise."

"Well, let's not go _that_ far," Renamon laughed.

"Well, time to change," Witchmon said. She put her hands together, creating a field of energy around herself. In a flash, she was out of her robes and dressed in a red bikini, "Ah, good, it still works!"

Vincent raised an eyebrow, "I'm almost afraid to ask, but what would have happened if it _didn't_?"

"Oh, one of many things: There could have been an explosion, I could have fused with my robes, I could have come out _completely_ naked… Things like that."

"Right," Vincent said, sounding like he wished he had not asked.

Witchmon laughed. She poked at Wizardmon with her broom, "He can do the same spell, but I _doubt_ he will."

Wizardmon tilted his hat downward to hide his blush, "I prefer to sit and relax."

Eri laughed, "What'sa matter, Wizardmon? Shy?"

"Quite."

"Oh. Sorry."

"No, there's nothing to be sorry about."

"Ok," Eri shrugged. She lifted off her shirt, revealing her black bikini top. "Geez," she thought, "This is so inappropriate… If my father _ever_ saw me wearing this… He'd never stop making fun of me."

Vincent saw her blushing and grinned, "And you asked _him_ about being shy…"

Eri's blush deepened and she delivered a sharp kick to Vincent's chest, knocking him down, "Shut up! I _know_ where you're looking, you hentai!"

Vincent sat up and cringed, "But I wasn't… Oh, you're not listening…"

Renamon sighed, "Victim of many, but victimizer of many more. The story of Vincent."

"Yeah, right. I've been victimized many more times than I've victimized someone."

"Mhm, sure."

Vincent grinned, "At least _I_ can swim without smelling like _wet fox_!"

Renamon's fur stood on end, "_What_!"

Vincent immediately realized his mistake and started running, "Shit!"

Renamon took pursuit, "I'll kill you!"

Sora watched Vincent's impending doom and sighed, "Don't they know how to relax, instead of being at each other's throats?"

Gatomon snickered, "Apparently not."

"So, are you like an ordinary house cat and hate swimming?"

Gatomon's eye twitched, "Yes…"

Sora gave her a shocked look, "Really?"

"I'm a cat, right?"

"Well… I was kidding."

"Well now you know, now don't you?"

"So if I were to, say, throw you in the water--"

"You'd be dead five times before you hit the ground," Gatomon sneered.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Sora said, scratching her ears.

Gatomon purred, "Mrooow…"

Eri sat next to Wizardmon on the sand, watching the waves go by, "I think this is the first time I've been to the beach since I came to the Digital World."

Wizardmon looked up at her, "Hmm?"

"It's just… I realized how much fun I used to have," she smiled and leaned back, "and how much I missed it."

"Well, you can relive it now, right?"

Eri's smile faded, "Well… Not exactly."

"Why?"

"Nothing was ever the same after my father died… After my mother took him from me. Nothing had the same feeling that it once had."

"I see…"

Eri shook her head, "But hey, now's not the time to get nostalgic, right? C'mon, let's go see what the others are up to."

Wizardmon watched her walk for a moment, "Eri…"

Renamon had inevitably caught up to Vincent and delivered a few more bruises to his head. Not that it was much, considering how many he already had. She was pinning him with her knee on his back, "Now take it back!"

Vincent repeatedly tried to escape, "N-Never!"

She pushed his face into the sand, "I said take it back!"

"Ow! It was just a joke! Why are you taking it so seriously?"

Renamon grinned, "Because I'm a _bitch_."

Vincent let himself collapse, "No shit…"

Sora looked over at them, "Hey, you two. Get a room."

Vincent glared, "Go to hell!"

Renamon let Vincent stand and leapt at Sora, "You want to be _next_!"

Sora rolled out of the way, "Jesus!"

Vincent brushed himself off, "Now, now, no reason to get violent."

Renamon disappeared and reappeared behind Vincent. She grabbed his ears and started rubbing them, "Ok, I'll get clingy."

Vincent's legs turned to rubber, "Whaaaaa…."

Renamon giggled, "Oh, Vincent, you're so cute!"

Eri smiled at them, "Adorable!"

Sora pretended to choke, "Gag me."

"Oh, shut up, lightweight."

"No, I refuse."

Renamon let Vincent go, "I wonder if you can even stand without my help now."

"Of course I… can, I--," Vincent started to fall forward, but Renamon caught him.

"Guess not."

Witchmon laughed, "What's with the ears?"

"Apparently they're sensitive."

"Ooh."

Vincent growled, "Yes, _tell_ them my secrets and weaknesses. You're a _great_ friend, Renamon."

"Oh, Vincent," Renamon said, nuzzling the side of his face, "You know I love you."

His face went red, "Renamon…"

Eri laughed, "You two are too cute together! It should be a crime!"

Renamon laughed nervously, "I uh…"

Vincent struggled, "Hey, lemme go..!"

Renamon cleared her throat, "I don't know what came over me… Sorry."

"Right," Vincent said, still a bit confused.

Eri frowned, "Aww, no more cuddles?"

Sora gave Eri a weird look, "What's _wrong_ with you?"

"I'm sorry… I'm a sucker for cute couples. And this one is _adorable_."

"You've got to be kidding…"

"Nope! Why is it so shocking to you?"

"That's not it."

"Then what is?"

"What's _shocking_ is how utterly simple minded you are. Honestly, I thought you Japanese were smarter than that."

Eri growled, her innocence instantly disappearing. She leapt at him, throwing a punch, "Stereotype the Japanese, will you! Die, baka!"

Her fist hit Sora in the jaw. He reeled back and rubbed the spot where she hit him, "Ow! God damn, you hit _hard_!"

"Seven martial arts classes, three of them ninjitsu, plus being bullied all my life and having to survive out here. You do the math."

"No wonder."

Wizardmon looked nervous, "I hope she never gets that angry at me…"

Eri immediately went over and hugged him, "Nah, I could never be mad at _you_."

Sora sighed, "Only because she just took it out on me."

"Naaaaaah," Eri went over and hugged Sora, "I can be nice to you, too."

Sora smiled and returned the hug, "Ok, good."

Witchmon laughed, "Man, how long have you guys known each other? A week, right? How are you all so close?"

"When each day can be your last," Vincent said, looking to his friends and then to Witchmon, "friendships form quickly. Especially if you're continually saving each others' lives."

"Wow… That's deep. Renamon, you've made yourself some amazing friends."

Renamon smiled, "Yes, I have."

They spent the rest of the day talking and playing, enjoying themselves as much as they could for the rest of their break. After all, there were only two days after that one. Vincent sat watching the sun setting over the horizon, "Man… What a great day. I haven't had this much fun since-- Hm?"

He heard what sounded like someone singing behind the rock formation to his left. Curious, he quietly walked over and peeked around the rocks. He saw Renamon sitting there, singing a song he had never heard before:

_Promise that we'll stay for the sunset_

_And when the moon shines through the darkness_

_We can find the path that leads us home_

_And on the way you'll, maybe, sing me a song_

_Promise that you always will be there_

_Hold my hand if ever I'm real scared_

_Help me stand up tall if I fall down_

_Make me laugh away on my bluest days_

_Oh could you promise you always could be there?_

_Why'd you have to go away somewhere?_

_Every morning into every night_

_Do you watch over me, like the sun in the sky?_

_Am I all alone? I'm standing in your light_

_I wish that, maybe, I could sing you a song… tonight_

_You promised me we'd stay for the sunset…_

Vincent was flabbergasted. He had not known that Renamon had such a beautiful voice, never mind the right attitude to be a singer! He decided to leave her in peace and started to walk away. As he walked, he crushed a shell under his bare foot, "OW…!"

Renamon's ears perked up, "V-Vincent?"

Vincent froze, caught. He leaned around the rock with a sheepish smile, "Ehehe… Hi, Renamon. Ow…"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just stepped on a shell."

"Let me take a look," Renamon said, standing and walking over to him.

"No, that's alright, really."

Renamon lifted him up in her arms, "I _said_ let me look at it."

"Ok, ok," Vincent said, deciding to let her win for once.

Renamon examined his foot, "A small cut. Nothing to worry about."

"I could've told you that…"

"I know. But I need to check."

Vincent shrugged, "Ok then. Oh, um… What was that song you were singing?"

Renamon looked at him and paused. She sighed, "It's a song that Rika made up. She always sang it when she missed her father."

"So do you miss someone?"

"No. Just reminiscing."

"I see. I know it must be terrible to have that being brought up all the time."

She shook her head, "No, no… I like being reminded of Rika and the times we fought together. I neither regret nor long for them."

"Why don't you long for them? I mean, you had a great time, right?"

"It's true, I was always happy when I was with Rika… But I would never repeat our adventures together, even if I could."

"But… why?"

"Because," Renamon looked at him and smiled, "nothing could ever replace the memories we shared together during those adventures. Just as nothing could replace ours, Vincent."

Vincent returned her smile, "You're right."

Renamon stood, "I think we should probably find the others."

"Yeah. Let's go," Vincent said, following her. He laughed, "Oh, and Renamon?"

"Yes?"

"You've got a… beautiful voice."

Renamon blushed deeply, "I, um… Ahem. Thank you."

Vincent smiled, "C'mon, shy foxy, let's go back to the others."

Renamon kept walking, her face still red, "Vincent… You're making me get all… flushed."

"Aw, I'm sorry," he matched her speed and took her paw, "I won't say anything else then."

Renamon sighed, "I don't mind, it's just…"

"Hm?"

"N-Nothing…"

"Alright…"

They went back to the others. Apparently Sora had challenged Eri's ability to beat him in some kind of wrestling match and, because of Eri's insatiable desire to prove that she was just as strong as any man, she accepted. Sora, being the ex-military buff man he was, had her pinned quite well. Eri struggled, "When I get out of this I swear--"

"You may hit hard, but you've got no weight to you. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing," Sora laughed.

Eri's face turned red, "I need an adult!"

"I _am_ an adult."

"I need a _sane_ adult!"

Vincent took in the sight and turned to Gatomon, "Um… Mind explaining what's going on here?"

"Sora challenged her to a wrestling match. We all warned her, Sora included, about how tough he was, but she would hear none of it," the cat Digimon said.

Wizardmon sighed, "Stubbornness can be a good thing, but not in a case like this…"

Witchmon laughed, "I wonder if she'll actually learn that?"

Eri struggled, "Help! Rape!"

Vincent snickered, "Knowing Sora, that wouldn't shock me."

"Shut up," Sora shouted. He stood and let Eri up, "Stick with what you're good at and you're fine."

Eri cracked her back, "Yeah, I know."

They decided to stay at the local inn for the night and then head back the next day. Vincent laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He looked over at Renamon, sleeping beside him, and thought, "I wonder what her problem was earlier… In fact, she acted strange a few times today. Oh well. I won't complain."

Meanwhile, over the sea separating the Server and Mother continents, BlackWarGreymon continued his search. He had checked the other continents and found no signs of the Tamers or their Digimon. That just left the Server continent. He kept at max speed, not caring if he tore through a ship or two, "This will be easy. Those stupid kids will see just who's in charge in this world. And I've been aching to fight someone worthy for so long now…"


	14. An Abrupt Continuation

-1An Abrupt Continuation

The group headed out after breakfast, first walking Witchmon back to her place. Vincent put his hands behind his head, "Well, that was quite a day yesterday."

"You said it," Witchmon said, "I'm glad I came with you guys."

A bright red light appeared in the sky. It came down at them with incredible speed and exploded ten feet in front of them, sending them flying back. Vincent growled, "Who the--"

BlackWarGreymon landed at the site of his attack, "I finally found you, Digi-Destined. Are you ready to die?"

Gatomon gasped, "BlackWarGreymon!"

BlackWarGreymon turned to her. A strange feeling coursed through his head, "Wh-What is this… AGH! I don't know who you are, but stay out of my _mind_!"

Sora got ready to fight, "So, you know this metal menace?"

"His data matches perfectly! He's the same BlackWarGreymon that I knew! Only he's supposed to be dead," Gatomon said.

"The Administrators say 'Hello', by the way. I've been sent by them to dispose of you," BlackWarGreymon lied.

"So it's them, huh? Fine by me. Renamon," Vincent called to his partner.

Renamon nodded, "Let's do this!"

The three partner Digimon leapt into the air and were enveloped in light:

"Renamon Digivolves to…"

"Gatomon Digivolves to…"

"Wizardmon Digivolves to…"

The light disappeared, and their Digivolution was complete:

"Kyubimon:

"Angewomon!"

"Mystimon!"

BlackWarGreymon laughed, "A Champion and two Ultimates? Insolence!"

"That's _three_ Ultimates," Witchmon said. She became enveloped in a similar light, "Witchmon Digivolves to…"

Her robes disappeared and her blonde hair turned red, growing longer. She took on the form of a black two-tailed cat with two rings on each tail. Her clothing changed to what looked like gypsy clothing. A revealing red top and leopard-skin pants became visible. The light disappeared, "Bastemon!"

Kyubimon was surprised, "So, you learned how to Digivolve, too?"

"I picked it up over the years. Now, let's down this flyboy!"

"You do not know the forces with which you are dealing," BlackWarGreymon said. He started charging energy into his hands. He fired it at them in the form of multiple green projectiles, "War Blaster!"

The four Digimon dodged the attack and split up. Bastemon called to the others, "I'll distract him! Attack then!"

"What are you crazy," Mystimon shouted, "You'll be obliterated!"

"Not if his aim is off," Bastemon laughed. She levitated up to BlackWarGreymon, "Hey, ugly! Over here! I bet you couldn't hit a barn door with that attack of yours!"

BlackWarGreymon snarled, "What!"

"She really _is_ crazy," Kyubimon said.

"We'll just have to trust her," Angewomon said, getting into position and preparing an arrow.

BlackWarGreymon had charged another attack into his hands. He held it in the air, ready to hurl it at Bastemon, "Terra Destroyer!"

Bastemon held her hands out and dozens of string-like extensions emerged from her palms and attached to BlackWarGreymon, "Oh, dear. It looks like you're all strung up."

"What _is_ this! Release me!"

"No, no, I do believe I've got you where I want you. Now, you won't be needing that," she moved her fingers around, causing BlackWarGreymon to release his Terra Destroyer into the air, where it exploded harmlessly. She called to the others, "Now! Attack!"

Kyubimon leapt into the air and set ablaze. She sent the blue flames at their attacker, "Dragon Wheel!"

Angewomon fired several arrows, "Celestial Arrow!"

Mystimon held up his crystal ball and fired multiple energy spikes at BlackWarGreymon, "Core Dart!"

The attacks all hit him, but barely put a dent in his armor. BlackWarGreymon snarled, thrashing his arms and breaking Bastemon's strings, "Enough is _enough_! I will destroy you all!"

"Shit," Vincent said, "Um, this is bad…"

"No, really," Sora said sarcastically.

BlackWarGreymon held his arms in the air and began to spin at an amazing speed. Wind started to collect around him, forming a huge whirlwind, "Black Storm Tornado!"

The whirlwind sent off two smaller ones in opposite directions, tearing up the town and heading for the beach. The larger whirlwind sucked in the Digimon and Tamers. The debris being picked up ripped and tore at them. Kyubimon struggled to keep her form, "D-Dammit! We need to get out of here!"

They all de-Digivolved and were quickly losing strength. Suddenly, a bright light appeared in the sky, like a metal object reflecting the sun. It flew down at them quickly. They heard a voice, "Magna Blast!"

A volley of energy projectiles soared through the air and dispersed the twister's energy. The Digimon and their Tamers were left falling toward the ground. What looked like a knight clad in red and white armor with a red cape swooped down and caught them. Renamon opened her eyes and looked at him, "Y-You are…"

The knight nodded to her, "Been a long time, Renamon."

"Gallant…mon…"

The other metal Digimon, one with blue and white skin and golden armor, joined Gallantmon, "Are they alright?"

"Yes," the knight replied, "They are all fine."

Gatomon looked over at the golden Digimon, "Magnamon..?"

Magnamon turned to her, "I remember you. Your partner was Kari, right?"

"Yeah."

Wizardmon regained consciousness, "M-My lords… What are you doing here?"

Gallantmon laughed, "You actually think we'd leave you all to die?"

"Thank you."

BlackWarGreymon growled, "Royal Knights… You stay out of this! This does not concern you!"

Magnamon faced BlackWarGreymon, "Gallantmon, bring them to safety. I will take care of this one."

"Of course," Gallantmon said, lowering himself to the ground.

Magnamon got into his fighting stance, "Now then, BlackWarGreymon… It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"What are you talking about," the metal dinosaur asked, "I don't know you!"

"Remember Veemon?"

BlackWarGreymon relaxed a bit, "Yes, I remember… Vaguely."

"You sacrificed yourself to protect the human world, remember?"

"And for what! To ensure their survival? To make them happy? The reasons seemed right at the time, but then I realized just how stupid I was to sympathize with the weak, pathetic humans! If they are so weak, they _deserve_ to be ruled by Digimon!"

"Your reasons for returning to evil are your own, but I will not let you harm those children, or their Digimon."

"Just try and stop me," BlackWarGreymon shouted, lunging at Magnamon with his Dramon Destroyers held out, "Dragon Crusher!"

Magnamon moved out of the way and swung his foot around, "Magna Kick!"

BlackWarGreymon was sent flying back, but he would not be subdued so easily. He quickly charged another attack into his hands and hurled it at Magnamon, "Terra Destroyer!"

The attack hit Magnamon, leaving a large plume of smoke. The smoke cleared, revealing that Magnamon was still alive and well, with barely a scratch on his armor. Magnamon started to gather energy, "That was a mistake you won't live to regret!"

BlackWarGreymon flew at him, "Just try me!"

Magnamon nodded to Gallantmon, who covered the others with his cape, and held out his arms, "Magna Explosion!"

A huge burst of energy emitted from his body, sending BlackWarGreymon to the ground and critically wounding him. BlackWarGreymon stood and retreated, "This isn't over, Digi-destined… The Royal Knights will not always be there to protect you."

Magnamon landed next to Gallantmon, "How are they?"

"They are all well," Gallantmon said. He turned to the others, "You all should do well to prepare yourselves for anything else that should come your way. Now that the Administrators know where you are, they will undoubtedly send more Digimon to find you."

Renamon looked out where BlackWarGreymon had been, "How did they get their hands on a Mega level Digimon?"

"Who knows. The important thing is that you all get some rest and defeat them. We cannot help you when the time comes."

"It'd be terrible if a Royal Knight were to become corrupted," Magnamon said.

Wizardmon bowed to Gallantmon and Magnamon, "Thank you for helping us, my lords."

"You don't need to thank us. However, now would be an opportune time for you, and us, to explain everything to your partner and friends."

Eri joined Wizardmon, "What's he talking about?"

"Where to start… Well, I guess the beginning will do," Wizardmon said, "Remember when I was supposedly working for the Administrators?"

"Yeah."

"That was a cover-up. I was working undercover for the Royal Knights, gathering information. Ever since I was brought back from the Datastream, the Royal Knights were kind to me. They gave me a purpose, so I helped them as best as I could."

"And a good job, you have done," Gallantmon said.

"However," Magnamon interjected, "Now you have a new purpose. One that you have made with your human partner."

"I know, my lord," Wizardmon said, "Destroy the Administrators' reign of the Digital World."

"Right. Eri, is it? It is evident that you have been very kind to Wizardmon. Please continue to do so. I have already seen kindness turn into evil, and I would not care to see it again."

Eri nodded, "I will, but… What do you mean by that?"

Magnamon turned to walk away, "You will understand when the time comes."

Gatomon called to him, "Wait! Magnamon… You're the same Veemon that fought beside me, right?"

"Yes."

"Tell me… How did you survive? I had heard that all of the other Digi-Destined and their Digimon were killed."

"There were… some survivors. Gallantmon and myself, for example. Unfortunately, the only survivors seem to be you, me, Renamon, and Gallantmon. Even the other Royal Knights who are associated with some of the original Digi-Destined are completely different Digimon. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I did not want you to get your hopes up."

Gatomon shook her head, "It's ok. I'm glad at least some of us survived. And to think you of all people went on to become a Royal Knight."

Magnamon looked like he was smiling, but his mouth guard hid it, "Strange how our world works, is it not?"

Gallantmon turned to Magnamon, "Wait, Magnamon. There was one other--"

"No, Gallantmon. Do not say it."

Gallantmon thought for a moment and nodded, "Alright."

Renamon finally stood and addressed Gallantmon, "So, how did you learn to reach Mega level without Biomerging?"

Gallantmon let his head hang down, "When Takato died, his spirit was so strong that it merged with mine. It opened a portal to the Digital World before that man could kill me. Eventually I took this form and stayed this way."

"I see…"

Magnamon called to Gallantmon, "We must go. Staying in the open for any length of time is… unwise to any Digimon without the protection program."

Gallantmon nodded and followed him, "We will probably not meet again, so take care, Renamon."

"You, too," Renamon said.

Magnamon and Gallantmon took to the sky and departed. Gallantmon broke the silence between them, "Why didn't you want me to tell them about the other survivor?"

"It would be better," Magnamon said, "if they did not know…"

"Kindness to evil… I guess you're right."

Wizardmon watched them fly off, "I guess we owe them. Although they would say otherwise."

"I didn't know you were working with the Royal Knights," Eri said, "You're one lucky Digimon."

"One would say that, but I don't consider myself very lucky. They are powerful, sure, but when you look at it, they're all made of the same data as all Digimon."

Eri laughed, "I guess you're right."

Vincent closed his hand into a fist, "So, Administrators… You finally got tired of waiting and have started calling us out, huh? That's fine by me. I've been itching to fight for this entire week."

Renamon looked at him with a worried expression, "Vincent?"

"Now we have no choice. They either take the fight to us, or _we_ take it to _them_. If we want to win, we'll take it to them."

Sora nodded, "Yeah, really. Let's go and finish those bastards off!"

Gatomon's ears drooped, "They're agreeing on something… That can't be good."

"Oh, shut up."

"But they're right," Eri said, "Now that they know where we are, they won't stop. It's best that we go to them and not risk any bystanders here getting hurt."

"Right then," Vincent said enthusiastically, "If we're all in agreement, let's go back to the lab and see if Datamon can give us a quick teleport there. Then we'll show those Administrators we're not afraid to fight!"


	15. Strange Encounters and

-1Strange Encounters and Stranger Feelings

BlackWarGreymon limped his way through the hall on Beelzemon's fortress. He knew that he would not be angry, because he had not killed the kids like he had wanted to. He entered the main chamber and stopped in front of Beelzemon, "The deed is done, my lord. Those kids should be on the hunt again."

Beelzemon's brow furrowed, "Why are you so… beat up?"

"Those meddling Royal Knights interfered. Apparently they have some interest in what happens to them."

"Not surprising. They _are_ the one hope of the Digital World, after all. Well, you got your message across without killing anyone, and with that you have proven your worth."

"Thank you, Lord Beelzemon. Please, when the time comes and you are at full strength, let me be the ones to annihilate those rotten--"

"No."

"What!"

"I will destroy them. That is final."

BlackWarGreymon snarled, but held his composure and exited the room. He made his way to the building's exit, "Damn him… I will _not_ let that embarrassment slide. When they defeat the final Administrator, I will kill them all."

Katsu watched him pass by and laughed mockingly, "What, did they beat the almighty BlackWarGreymon? A Mega level Digimon beaten by a bunch of kids and their pet Digimon. _How_ utterly embarrassing."

He snarled, "Silence! I'll have you know that the Royal Knights intervened and saved them!"

"And how many were there?"

"Two of them!"

"How many actually _fought_?"

"One, but you know they are probably the most powerful Digimon in the Digital World, next to Beelzemon and the Great Celestial Digimon."

"What ever happened to your claim to be able to defeat all of the Royal Knights in one battle?"

BlackWarGreymon slammed one of his Dramon Destroyers into the ground right in front of Katsu, "I said _shut up_!"

Katsu did not flinch, "Your violence does not intimidate me. I know you won't kill me, because Lord Beelzemon would kill you if you did. And you're not one who is fearless of death."

BlackWarGreymon pulled the gauntlet out of the ground and kept walking, "Be happy he actually finds use for a pathetic human."

Oukamon watched him leave and smiled, "Little does he know, you're probably more useful than he is at this point."

"Yeah, I bet," Katsu said, "I'm gonna go find out their next objective. That way I can be at the next Administrator's tower when they defeat them."

"I'll go with you."

"All the better," Katsu said. They walked out of the building and stepped onto a teleporter of their own.

An electronic voice came from the computer attached to the pad, "Destination?"

"Server continent teleport hub alpha."

"One moment," the teleporter started to glow, "Projecting."

Their bodied de-materialized and re-materialized at their destination. Katsu stepped off of the teleporter and stretched, "The only problem now… is to find out _where_ they're going."

Oukamon smiled, "Leave that to me. I'm as stealthy as can be."

"No offense, but the metal claws may give you away."

"Then I'll Digivolve. I'm a lot quieter while I'm Lupimon."

"I don't want to put you in any unnecessary danger."

"It's not unnecessary. And besides, _I'm_ putting me in danger. Not you."

Katsu sighed, "As long as you think you can do this without being seen…"

"Hey," Oukamon said with a smile, "It's _me_."

The Tamers and their Digimon had just finished getting bandaged up from their fight with BlackWarGreymon. Luckily, the tornado he had created had not critically wounded them, which shocked Datamon beyond belief. "You know," he said, "you all are lucky to be alive at all. BlackWarGreymon is a Mega level Digimon."

"Yeah, we kinda _got_ that," Vincent said with his "are you freaking stupid?" voice.

"Yes, well… Of course."

"We're lucky Magnamon and Gallantmon intervened, or we'd probably be dead," Sora said, stretching, "Wizardmon's connections saved us."

"Unfortunately, that it all too accurate. If I had not been connected to the Royal Knights, they probably would not have seen much interest," Wizardmon sighed.

"Nah," Vincent said, "We're the hope of the Digital World, right? I think they'd have saved us anyway. Even if we were just a bunch of normal kids and Digimon, I bet if they happened to be watching at the time, they would have done the same thing. That's the only kind of 'royal knight' I can imagine."

Renamon smiled, "I think so, too."

Eri let herself fall back onto the floor, "I doubt we'll be so lucky in the future, though, so we need to be careful."

"And," Vincent said, "we need to get stronger, faster."

"Let's not push ourselves, Vincent. Strength is a goal, but patience is a virtue."

"I know that, but if we don't figure out how to get stronger, then we're as good as dead."

Renamon sighed, "I haven't even reached my Ultimate form yet… I've been slowing everyone down."

"What? No, no, don't say that, Renamon."

"There are only two Administrators left… I'm sure they are quite powerful and control Ultimate to Mega level Digimon. A Digimon who can only reach Champion level is…"

Vincent put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a stern, confident look, "Renamon. Listen to me, you are _not_ useless. You're the furthest thing from, in fact. Sure, you may not be at full power yet, but that doesn't matter one bit. The point is that you make an effort to help and you do your best. No one… not me, not Datamon, not the entire Digital World, can ask you to do more. Alright?"

Renamon, shocked by his sudden seriousness, gasped, "V-Vincent…"

"We on the same level?"

She pulled him into a hug, "Yes… We are. Thank you, Vincent."

Sora nudged Eri and whispered to her, "Is it me, or are those two a bit closer than partners?"

Eri whispered back, "You have no idea…"

Gatomon jumped on Sora's head, "You mean you didn't know?"

"Not really," Sora said, "I'm not one to really pay much attention to this sort of thing."

"Well they're definitely closer than that," Eri grinned, "but whether they _know_ it yet is the real question."

Vincent's brow furrowed, "They're talking about us."

"I know," Renamon sighed, "Just ignore them."

Datamon suddenly perked up and shouted, "Intruder!"

Renamon quickly turned to him, "What?"

"My internal computer is linked to the security systems in the lab… It seems there is an intruder in the building," he led them to the security room and turned on the monitors for the security cameras. There was a female Digimon on one of the screens.

Vincent growled, "Lupimon… What's _she_ doing here?"

Datamon pressed a few buttons, "Insolent woman. I will stop her where she stands!"

Lupimon quietly stepped through the room, "This is easy… Not even a motion detector or security camera--"

Four strange rod-like objects appeared around her. They started to charge with energy and make a humming sound. Lupimon quickly jumped away from them and headed for the window, but a sheet of metal came down over it. She looked around, "Damn… The exits are sealed."

The energy rods fired an arc of electricity at her, knocking her unconscious…

She awoke later to find herself on a metal bed, her hands and feet bound with metal cuffs. She was a prisoner. She snarled, "Alright, where are you! You all too afraid to come in here, even though I'm all tied up!"

The others watched through the monitor. Vincent scratched the back of his head, "To be honest… that's why I'm not in there. Who knows when she'll break out?"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," Datamon said, "Those cuffs are made of steel! She could not break them if she tried."

"I sure hope not."

"Now then," Datamon opened a panel in the computer and brought out a small microphone. He spoke into it, "Miss Lupimon, you seem to have yourself in quite the fix if I do say so myself."

Lupimon snarled, "Let me go, you stupid vending machine, or I'll personally eat your circuitry!"

Datamon shouted, "Vending machine! How dare you! I shall purge you at once!"

Renamon put her hand on his head, "Please, Datamon, we are not savages."

"Y-You're right."

"Let me try," Renamon took the microphone and spoke into it, "Lupimon, if you answer our questions, no harm will come to you."

Lupimon started laughing, "No harm, huh? As if any of you would have the guts to torture me!"

Renamon growled, "It's tempting, but she's right… We would be no better than the Administrators if we did that…"

Wizardmon shook his head, "I've been trying to read her mind, but she is quite powerful mentally."

Eri pushed past them, "Give me five minutes, ten minutes tops, alone with her. I'll get her to spill her guts."

Vincent raised an eyebrow, "I wonder what she's gonna do…"

"I dunno, but I'm interested to see what she can come up with," Sora said, recalling her successful plan to sneak them into Leon's tower. He snickered, "She'd make a great torturer."

"Let's hope she doesn't spoil our peaceful reputation…"

Eri peered back into the room, "Oh, and turn the cameras _off_, please. Thanks."

Now Vincent was _really_ worried, "Um… Any reason _why_?"

"Because I prefer people not to be watching me. I get nervous when I have cameras on me."

"Riiight…"

Eri gave them a big smile and disappeared again. Datamon started to turn off the cameras, "We should respect her privacy."

"Hell no," Vincent said.

"What? Are you _that_ insensitive?"

"We don't know if she's gonna cut her with that weapon of hers, or who knows what else she could possibly be doing?"

Datamon sighed, "I suppose you're right."

Sora switched the camera back on, "Just because we said we'd turn them off…"

"…doesn't mean we wouldn't turn them back on," Vincent finished.

Renamon put her hand on her forehead, "Vincent…"

Gatomon laughed and hopped onto Sora's shoulder, "Les'see (let's see) what she's gonna do…"

Eri walked into their makeshift prison and closed the door behind her, "Now, Lupimon… About those questions."

Lupimon laughed, "Oh, _look_ they've brought another girl in to make me more comfortable, huh?"

Eri grinned, "Oh, don't you wish?"

"I _wish_ you would let me go."

"After you answer our questions."

"You're wasting your time."

"Well, I have to ask. What are you doing here?"

"Snooping around."

"That's obvious. Why are you doing so?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I would, actually."

"Too bad. You won't get anything out of me."

"Oh, will I," Eri asked. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a large black feather, "Answer. _Now_."

Lupimon shivered, "What are you doing with _that_?"

Eri's face turned sinister. She softly brushed the feather across Lupimon's neck, "Answer the question."

Lupimon giggled and immediately turned her head downward, stopping the feather, "Wh-What are you doing!"

"Torturing you. And as I had thought, it is working quite well."

"That'll never--"

Eri moved the feather across her bare stomach and Lupimon grit her teeth together, trying her hardest not to laugh. Eri snickered, "Oh, looks like it did. But I already knew it would."

"H-How..?"

"I know all there is to know about people. Just by looking at them, just by studying their appearance, movements, and breathing, I can tell if someone is either brave or a coward. Smart or stupid. Nice or mean. I can tell if someone is sad when they look happy. And in your case," she brushed the feather across her stomach again, "I can tell who's ticklish and who's not."

Lupimon's face flushed and she giggled a bit, "Damn… you..!"

Eri laughed, "So, I'll ask you again: Why were you snooping around?"

Lupimon turned her head to the side and closed her eyes, "I don't understand the question."

"You don't know when to not be sarcastic, obviously," Eri said, tickling her under her neck again.

Sora watched in disbelief, "You're kidding…"

Renamon shook her head, "I can't believe it… Vincent, turn the camera off. Hey, Vincent… You listening?"

Vincent shook his head quickly and looked at her, "Wha?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"N-Nothing. But uh… I don't think we should turn the camera off."

Renamon's eyes narrowed, "_Why_?"

Vincent jumped, startled by her aggressiveness, "Because, uh… She might do something bad."

"She's _tickling_ her."

Vincent whined, "I know…"

Sora laughed, "I think he just wants to watch."

Vincent's face went red, "Of course not, you bastard! I just don't want her to… you know… hurt her or anything."

"Yeah, sure that's what it is."

"Shut up!"

Renamon growled, "Vincent… You little pervert."

Vincent shook his head violently, "I am _not_ a pervert!"

"Whatever…"

They continued to watch the screen. As Eri questioned her she made her laugh more and more each time. Eri grinned, "So, you don't wanna talk, huh? I guess I'll move somewhere else."

"Don't you _dare_," Lupimon growled.

Eri walked down to the end of the bed and started to tickle her foot, "Talk, then."

Lupimon let out a loud yelp, "_Stop_!"

Vincent quickly covered his face as a small trickle of blood came out of his nose, "Agh, be right back!"

Sora watched him run to the bathroom, "God damn… What's the big deal, anyway?"

Renamon shook her head, "He's fourteen. Hormones."

"That why you forgive him?"

"Yeah. Normally I can't stand perverts, but I'll let it slide on the account of hormones."

Eri stopped tickling, giving her a small break, "Ready to answer yet?"

Lupimon panted, "Never!"

"You just want more…"

"NO!"

Eri started again and spoke in a sing-song voice, "You're only doing this to yourself. If you just tell me what exactly it is you're looking for, then I'll let you go."

"If-If-If you th-think I'll tell you anything through torture, you can for-forget it!"

Eri smiled and walked back over to the top of the bed. She ran her forefinger against her cheek, "Oh, but Lupimon… I'm already winning."

Lupimon's eyes narrowed, "Oh yeah? How do you figure?"

"Oh, I can tell. It would be a waste of time to tell you, because all of the signs are being made by you on a subconscious level."

"I'm sick of you, and we've only just met! LET. ME. GO!"

Eri laughed and ran the feather across her neck again, holding her head in place with her hand, "Answer my questions and I'll let you go."

Lupimon could no longer control herself; she started laughing uncontrollably, "N-No! Stop! Please!"

Eri did not stop, "Then answer the question. Why were you snooping around?"

"F-Fuck you!"

Eri moved down to her stomach again, "Answer!"

Lupimon squirmed, trying fruitlessly to escape from her bindings, "N-No!"

Eri put the feather aside and started tickling her ribs, "Answer, and you will be spared from any further suffering."

"Ok, ok," Lupimon shouted between laughing fits, "I'll talk! I'll _talk_!"

Eri grinned, "Good girl. Now, tell me: Why were you snooping around?"

Lupimon panted for a few seconds, "You evil little bitch--"

Eri went for the feather again, "What?"

Lupimon yelped, "No! Ok, I'll answer! I wanted to find out where you guys were going next and how you were getting there."

"Why?"

"Because…"

"Because…?"

Lupimon closed her eyes, anticipating the worst, "Y-You don't need to know that…"

Eri tickled her under her chin, "I'll decide that."

Lupimon cringed, "Ok, ok! Katsu needs to know where you're going so we can follow you and get the next Administrator's data!"

"Why do you gather their data?"

"Katsu just wants their powers…"

"Liar," Eri picked up the feather again and started on her foot, "I don't _like_ liars."

Lupimon screamed and shook her head violently, "Sorry! I won't lie again, I promise!"

Eri stopped, "Good. Because, you know, I can tell."

Lupimon sighed, "I can't believe I've been reduced to this…"

"I don't blame you. You're quite ticklish. Probably because your skin's naturally soft in this form. It's too bad… the temptress was gotten the best of by the peaceful torturer."

"Don't forget the _plasma rods_ that incapacitated me in the first place! If it wasn't for those--"

"We'd have ran in, and you'd be in worse shape than you are."

Lupimon growled, "I doubt it."

Eri grinned, "I also don't like arrogance."

Lupimon yelped and cringed, "Don't tickle me again..!"

"I won't, if you answer the question properly this time."

"I can't answer that question…"

"Why not?"

"Because if I do, Katsu and I will die."

Eri crossed her arms, twirling the feather in her fingers to scare her, "So there's no convincing you?"

"Nope. I'll take any torture you throw at me if it's to keep Katsu alive."

Eri shook her head, "I guess it can't be helped. Oh well," she walked over to the wall, pressing a few buttons on a control panel. Lupimon's bindings opened and released her. Eri turned back to her, "Ok, you can--"

In a flash, Lupimon had leapt from the bed and pinned her to the door, "My, my, you're quite trusting, aren't you?"

"N-Nani--"

Lupimon moved close enough that their foreheads touched, "Now, _you're_ gonna answer _my_ questions."

Datamon immediately unlocked the prison door, "Quickly, we must help her!"

Lupimon heard them coming toward the room and pressed the lock button on the door, "Your friends won't be able to help. Not until you tell me what _I_ want to know."

Eri tried to pry her off, "Get _off_ of me!"

Lupimon smiled slyly and locked eyes with her, "You'll tell me, right?"

Eri's face flushed, "Wha…"

Vincent banged his fist on the door, "Hey, it's locked!"

Sora pushed him out of the way and pointed his gun at the door, "I'll bust it open!"

"Are you insane! You'll shoot Eri!"

Sora lowered his gun, "Damn!"

Datamon opened the control panel on the wall, "I'll try to override it!"

"Hang on, Eri, we'll help you!"

Lupimon slid her finger under Eri's neck and purred, "I bet you'll tell me…"

Eri shook her head, her face already bright red, "Stop it, you hentai!"

"Then tell me," Lupimon said, gazing into her eyes and using the same charm she had used on Mystimon, "Where are you going next?"

Eri swallowed hard, "R-Route continent…"

"Good girl," Lupimon said condescendingly, "And how are you getting there?"

"Teleporter."

"Here?"

"Yes."

The door opened and they fell through. Lupimon looked around for a moment, a bit startled, "Wha?"

Vincent pointed his sword at her, "Here's the bitch."

Lupimon started to slowly move backward, "You think you'll be able to--"

Eri quickly knocked her off of her and reversed the pin. She grinned evilly and began mercilessly tickling Lupimon, "Try and entice _me_, will you, you dyke!"

Lupimon started laughing, "No! Let go! Let goooooooo!"

Sora sighed, "Again…"

"This time it's for revenge, it seems," Wizardmon said.

Lupimon managed to push her off and jump toward the door, her face red, "You'll pay for that some day, you evil little bitch!"

Eri pulled her eyelid down, "Ja ne, ticklish wolfie!"

Oukamon growled and leapt out the window, which was now uncovered. Vincent scratched the back of his head, "So… you're into girls, huh?"

Eri immediately grappled onto his head, nearly choking him, "It was what I needed to do to get the information! It _worked_, didn't it!"

"Ok, ok! Please, let go!"

Eri let go and sighed, "Don't question my sexuality or anything… I just know what makes people tick."

"So what else would have you done? I'm curious about that," Sora said.

"Well… I dunno. What are you _referring_ to, hentai?"

Sora laughed nervously, "Nothing… perverted, I assure you."

"Mhm. Sure. Look, let's go fight the next Administrator, ok?"

Datamon raised himself up on his arms to get to her eye level, "You all have been through a lot today. Perhaps you should get some sleep and then go after him?"

"I guess so…"

Meanwhile, a bit away from the lab, Lupimon walked slowly, her head hanging down, "That… little devil… I can't believe she _did_ that to me!"

A high-pitched voice came from her left, "Awwwh, did the little puppy get tickled?"

Lupimon growled and turned to the voice, "Alright, who's the--"

Renee sat a few feet above her on the branch of a tree, her typical adorable smile on her face, "Hiya, woof!"

"Administrator…"

"Hey, it's _Renee_. Renee Zaibet. Don't you forget it, woof."

"The name's Lupimon, you twat!"

Renee scowled, "_Twat_! At least I didn't make myself look queer!"

Lupimon snarled, "You were _watching_!"

"Yep," Renee giggled, "You're funny when you're mad, ya know."

Lupimon leapt at her, "I'm about to get _scary_!"

Renee screamed and jumped out of the tree as Lupimon punched the branch she was sitting on, sending splinters flying everywhere, "Hey, don't get violent!"

"Oh? And why _not_," she leapt at Renee again, barely missing her and leaving a crater in the ground from her fist.

Renee ran as fast as she could, "Leave me alooooooooone!"

Lupimon growled, "Stay still, you little _rat_!"

Renee screamed as she ran, "Why don't I ever catch a break!"

Lupimon leapt into the air and came down with her fist ready, "Die!"

Renee turned around and materialized her tower shield, "Go away!"

Lupimon hit the shield, denting it to the point where it nearly broke. A few seconds of shock hit her, and then the agonizing pain set in, "OW, GOD!"

Renee examined the giant dent in her shield and shivered, "Glad it wasn't me…"

"You're gonna pay for that!"

"Why? You punched it. It's not _my_ fault your fist got in the way of my shield," Renee grinned.

Lupimon picked her up by her collar, "You're gonna wish you stopped growing at seven, kid."

Renee whimpered, "Somebody help meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"Who in the right _mind_ would help you!"

Renee growled and materialized a large metal box in her hand. She pressed a button on it and it started to beep, "Do you know what _this_ is?"

Lupimon raised an eyebrow, "Eh?"

Renee grinned, "It's a _bomb_."

"What!"

"Hehe, that's right… Even if you put me down now and run with all your might, this bomb will kill you, me, and every other unlucky son of a bitch within three miles of here. Ready to die?"

Lupimon went cold, "Y-You're bluffing…"

Renee giggled, "You better put me down and start running as fast as you can."

Lupimon dropped her and took off at top speed, "You really _are_ crazy!"

Renee laughed as she watched her run off. She looked at the bomb casually as the timer neared zero. She threw it to the ground as the time ran out, and a burst of confetti shot out and rained from above her, "I love that trick… She really thought I was gonna blow myself up."

Lupimon saw the small strips of paper falling around her and growled, "You're _kidding_…"

Renee giggled and started running again, "I'm such a bad girl."

Lupimon immediately started chasing her again, "I _might_ have let you live if you hadn't done that, but now you die!"

Renee looked behind her and stuck her tongue out, "Can't catch me, woof!"

Lupimon growled and kept chasing her. Unknown to the both of them, they were about to barge in on some rather unexpected company. Renee saw a building ahead of her. She did not care what it was, as long as it could keep her and Lupimon separate. She reached the building, opened the door, ran inside, and closed it right as Lupimon drew her fist back. She jumped as the metal of the door bent inward, "Holy crap!"

Lupimon snarled, "I'll break this damn door down, you little pest! Come out and face me like the warrior you Administrators claim to be!"

Renee breathed a sigh of relief, "Safe… for now."

A voice came from behind her, "What are you doing here?"

She turned around to see Vincent with a not-so-forgiving look on his face, "Oops…"

"How'd you find this place," Vincent picked her up by her collar and held her against a wall, "Well!"

Renee whimpered, "Hey, stop! I just got away from woof, and I won't be threatened or scared or hurt by you, of all people!"

Vincent raised an eyebrow, "Woof? Who's woof?"

Lupimon bashed the door open and Renee pointed, "That's woof."

"Oh."

Lupimon glared at Vincent, "Give the girl to me, or you will _die_…"

Vincent looked at Renee and then at Lupimon, "You want Renee?"

"Yes…"

He shrugged, "Ok."

Renee's eyes widened, "No, Vincent, don't give me to her, _please_!"

"Why not? You're our enemy, and she's willing to get rid of you. Everything works out fine in my eyes."

Renee held onto him as tight as she could, "NOPLEASESTOPIDON'TWANNADIE!"

Vincent tried to pry her off, "Holding onto me isn't helping that!"

"I don't wanna die after all I've accomplished!"

"Accomplished! You call killing people _accomplishments_!"

"Well, what do _you_ call it?"

Vincent growled, "Hey, woof, help me out here."

Lupimon growled, "Don't _you_ start!"

Renee held onto Vincent, tears streaming down her face, "Please, don't let her kill me! I promise I won't tell anyone where you are or where this place is or anything!"

Vincent paused. For some reason, the sight of her crying and begging for her life, even as his enemy, seemed just plain wrong. He stopped trying to get her off, "Sorry, Lupimon, you're just gonna have to wait 'til next time."

Lupimon snarled, "What!"

"It wouldn't be right for me to just… hand her over."

Lupimon spat and walked out the door, "Pansy…"

Renee sniffled a few times, "V-Vincent..?"

"Don't worry, she's gone," he said, trying to sound as comforting as he possibly could toward someone he considered an enemy.

Renee smiled and hugged him, nuzzling the side of his face, "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Vincent growled, "Ok, stop that!"

Renee stopped and released him, "Sorry…"

"Whatever. Just go, alright?"

Renee nodded and started to leave. She turned back to him, "Oh, Vincent?"

"Yeah?"

"I… meant what I said. I won't tell anyone about this."

Vincent's brow furrowed, "I'm not trying to be ungrateful or anything, but… why?"

"Well… You _did_ just save me, when you could have easily been down an enemy, so I paid you back. And besides, it's more fun when we have to keep looking for you. If they found you all now, I'd never have any fun again," Renee smiled.

"Fun… huh?"

"Yep! So, let's forget this whole thing happened. I'll be on my way, and I'll ignore this place and tell them there's nothing here. I want to be the one who can defeat you, Vincent."

He watched her leave and shook his head, "War isn't a video game…"

Renamon walked in and glanced at him, "What are you doing?"

Vincent jumped, "Huh? Hehe, long story, actually."

Renamon looked outside and saw Renee walking away. She narrowed her eyes, "And I assume it involves you two…"

"What? Renamon, what are you--"

"You're saying you didn't notice her out there?"

Vincent realized what she was talking about. He gave her a worried look, "Renamon… are you _jealous_ or something?"

"Ha! Of all the--"

"Because Renee and I don't have that, or any kind of, relationship. Have you gone _brain dead_ or something?

Renamon blushed, "I… never assumed that."

"I think you did."

"Ok, so maybe I did. There, you happy now that you know?"

"Not really. I want to know why you were so jealous in the first place."

Renamon closed her paw into a fist, "I don't know why, but just the thought of you with someone like that makes me… so angry."

"Hey, hey… Calm down, ok--"

Renamon knelt down to his level and looked him in the eye, "You told me to warn you, right?"

"Wha--"

"Here's your _warning_," she moved in closer and closed her eyes.

Vincent quickly pulled away, "Renamon! What are you… We can't…"

Renamon immediately realized what she was doing, "I… I'm sorry…It-It was spur of the moment, I'm sure you--"

"Yeah, I… I know," Vincent said, his face bright red.

"Let's… go get some rest."

"Mhm."

They both went to bed, neither of them saying a word to each other. The next day, they set out to fight the next Administrator…


	16. Clash of the Shadow Jumpers

-1Clash of the Shadow Jumpers

Route continent was not as busy as the other continents they had visited. It was more like a rural town than anything. The Focus Tower stood not too far from the hidden teleporter that had brought them there. Vincent looked over at the tower and tilted his head to the side, "Convenient. We can go in, kill him, come out, grab something to eat, and leave easily here."

Renamon sighed, "_Really_? What makes you think it'll be easy?"

"Eh, just a hunch."

"Riiiight…"

Sora shook his head, "No sense just sittin' here talking about it. We gonna go, or what?"

"Sounds like a plan," Vincent said.

As they made their way to the tower, they tripped an unseen alarm. Within the tower, an alert appeared on the main computer screen. The Administrator in charge was sitting in what looked like a meditative posture. His dark brown Japanese-looking eyes lit up as the alarm sounded. He stood calmly and walked over to the screen. When he saw who was coming he smiled. He picked up the microphone on the computer and spoke into it, "The Tamers and their Digimon are approaching. Let us make sure they get a nice, warm welcome. Send in Megadramon and Gigadramon to… test their skills."

Two serpent-like Digimon, one with orange scales and dark blue wings, the other with grey armor and metallic wings, and both with large cannons for hands, lifted off from the top of the tower and intercepted the Tamers. Megadramon, the orange one, called to his mechanical brother, "Hey, you think I can shoot them now?"

"I dunno," Gigadramon joked, "Can you?"

Vincent saw their shadows looming overhead, "What the hell…"

"Uh oh, looks like he's spotted us," Gigadramon said.

"How can you tell? You just want to shoot something, don't you," Megadramon asked.

"It's an excuse, isn't it?"

Renamon got ready to fight, "Great. We've been spotted."

Gigadramon laughed, "Hey, you're the one who wanted to shoot something. Be my guest!"

Megadramon swooped down and aimed his arms outward, "Darkside Attack!"

A volley of missiles shot out of his hands and headed toward the Tamers. Renamon shouted to the others, "Get down!"

The missiles hit the ground around them and exploded. Eri stood and shook the dirt off of her, "Is everyone alright?"

"Oh, yeah," Sora said sarcastically, "Just great. I only just had a snake with metal arms blast me with a missile."

Vincent drew his sword, "We'll have to do what we can."

Renamon put her hand on his shoulder, "Don't. They're too high up for you to make a difference."

"Then I'll ride on your back."

"Yeah, really," Sora said, "We're not just gonna sit here and watch you guys fight."

"Take us with you and we'll down those gun toting maniacs," Eri said enthusiastically.

Renamon shook her head, "Guess there's no convincing you. Alright everyone, shall we?"

"Right, let's go!"

The three Digimon became enveloped in light.

"Renamon Digivolves to… Kyubimon!"

"Gatomon Digivolves to… Angewomon!"

"Wizardmon Digivolves to… Mystimon!"

They flew toward the attacking Digimon with their partners on their backs. Gigadramon watched them approach, "Hey, they survived! Your aim must be off!"

"Yeah, right," Megadramon defended, "It's only because _you_ rushed me into it!"

"They sure aren't taking this very seriously," Angewomon said.

Mystimon readied his sword, "If we're lucky, we'll end it while they're arguing."

"Sounds like as good a plan as any," Kyubimon said. Her tails erupted into flames, "Ready, Vincent? Er… Vincent, are you alright?"

Vincent shook his head, "Just a bit airsick…"

"Oh for goodness sake…"

"Forget it, I'm ready! Just get close when you pass and attack so I can get on his back."

"If you say so," she flew at Megadramon and fired her attack, "Fox Tail Inferno!"

The flames hit Megadramon, enraging him. He swatted his arms around, blinded by the smoke, "Hey, what gives!"

Vincent jumped off of Kyubimon as she passed and drew his sword, "Hey, I didn't know snakes could fly! I guess we'll just have to _fix_ that, now won't we?"

"Hey, get off of me!"

Gigadramon aimed his arms at Vincent, "Hold still, brother, I'll get him off!"

"What! No! You'll knock me out of the sky!"

"Oh, it'll be ok! Here goes! Genocide Ge--"

An energy arrow soared past Gigadramon, causing his attack to fly in random directions. Angewomon pulled back another arrow, "Hey, ugly! Over here!"

Vincent looked over at her, "Thanks, Angewomon!"

Sora grinned and readied his gun, "I've never been a living tail gun before… Let's see how I do."

"Just shoot when he gets too close," Angewomon said, firing a few more arrows, "Once he realizes he can't hit us, he'll probably resort to melee attacks."

Mystimon swooped in next to her, "I've got your back as well."

Gigadramon growled, "You picked the wrong Digimon to mess with! Genocide Gear!"

Angewomon flew back, shooting the missiles as they came at her. There were too many, however, and they were nearly upon her, "Sora, hold on!"

Mystimon held out his crystal ball and fired his attack at the remaining missiles, "Core Dart!"

The explosions hit Angewomon a bit, but not as bad as they would have been. She smiled at Mystimon, "You're a life saver!"

Sora sighed with relief, "Ok, let's uh… Let's get close to him so he can't do _that_ again."

Eri called over to him, "You ok, Sora?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go!"

Meanwhile, Vincent was finding it increasingly difficult to make a worthy strike on Megadramon, as he kept moving around and nearly knocking him off. Megadramon snarled, "Get off, you little human pest!"

Vincent stuck his sword into his back to keep himself balanced, "Hold still, dammit!"

Megadramon screamed, "Oh, of all places for him to stab, he gets me where I can't freakin' reach him!"

He swung his tail around and caught Vincent's foot in it. Vincent looked down and saw his predicament, "Oh, not good…"

"Vincent," Kyubimon shouted, flying in and grabbing Megadramon's tail in her mouth and shaking her head violently.

Megadramon whipped his tail out of her mouth, sending Vincent flying with it, "Stupid fox!"

Vincent screamed, "Gimmie a break!"

Kyubimon recovered and positioned herself under Vincent, catching him on her back, "You ok?"

"Yeah… Thanks, Kyubimon."

Gigadramon kept looking back and forth between Mystimon and Angewomon, "Dammit, Megadramon, help me!"

"Celestial Arrow," Angewomon pulled back and fired another arrow at him, taking off one of his gun hands.

Megadramon turned toward Angewomon and swooped in, swinging his claws at her, "Ultimate Slicer!"

Angewomon tried to dodge, Megadramon tackled her to the side. Sora jumped off of her back and landed on Megadramon's head, "Hey, you wanna play rough? Say hello to my little friend!"

Megadramon stopped and tried to look up at him, "What!"

Sora pointed the gun at his head and fired point blank into his skull, "Die!"

The impact shattered Megadramon's skull and punctured his brain. Sora jumped back onto Angewomon as he started to disperse into data. Angewomon helped him onto her back, "Great job, Sora!"

Gigadramon turned to his brother's killers, "You'll pay for that!"

Mystimon lunged at Gigadramon with his sword, impaling him. He channeled all of the fire into the middle of the sword and fired it throughout Gigadramon's body, "Blast Fire!"

Gigadramon's armor glowed red from the heat, and his eyes clouded over. Mystimon withdrew his sword, letting the metal serpent plummet to the ground. Kyubimon joined Angewomon and Mystimon, "That was annoying…"

"I guess they know we're here," Vincent said.

Sora reloaded his gun, "It'll just make things more interesting then. Now that they know we're here, there's no way that stealth will work."

"So that means…"

"…there's nothing left to do, but _charge_!"

They all rushed toward the tower. Mystimon aimed his crystal ball at the window, "Core Dart!"

The window shattered and they flew inside. Katsu and Oukamon watched from below. Katsu sighed, "Well, that sure looked dramatic. Guess that's our cue."

"Shall we go in?"

"Not quite yet, but now we know they're here… Whether they survive or not… Well, that's up to them."

"You won't save them if they're doomed?"

"As useful as they are to us, if they lose to Tesshin, then they will never be able to beat Renee."

"You have a point."

Vincent hopped off of Kyubimon's back and drew his sword, "Alright, Administrator scumbag, let's see what you're made of!"

The main Administrator, Tesshin, was sitting as he was before. He wore what looked like an old-styled ninja outfit, minus the hood that usually accompanied such a thing. He stood and turned to them, speaking with a Japanese accent, "Digimon Tamers… Quite the rarity in the Age of the Administrators, I must say."

Sora pointed his gun at him, "Your 'age' is coming to an end _very_ soon."

"Oh? And I suppose you Digimon Tamers are going to stop me?"

"You bet," Sora said, firing at him.

Tesshin disappeared and reappeared, unharmed, "Firearms are a thing of the past here in the Digital World, where training of the mind and body can allow even humans to surpass the limits they would normally face back on Earth."

Eri's brow furrowed, "Who and what _are_ you?"

"Who? Tesshin Kutagari, the fourth Administrator. What? An aged man who brought back an aged combat style. I have mastered the arts of ninjitsu through physical and mental training, and also through the very same data infusion that has empowered the other Administrators, as well."

Gatomon shook her head, "So your power is not your own. Typical of the Administrators."

"Who can judge if someone's powers are not their own. However I received my power, it is now under my control, therefore making it mine, am I wrong?"

Vincent growled, "Forget it, let's just kill this moron!"

They all attacked Tesshin, weapons swinging and bullets occasionally flying in the air. The ninja dodged each attack with a nearly superhuman grace. He jumped toward the back of the room and threw a volley of shuriken (ninja throwing daggers) at them. Vincent jumped in front and deflected some of them with his sword, "Sora, put that useless boom stick away for now! Use that sword you barely use!"

Sora realized that his gun was useless and did as Vincent suggested, "You've got a point."

Kyubimon called to them, "Out of the way! He can't dodge if there are a hundred projectiles coming at once."

The humans got behind their partners, who fired their attacks: Kyubimon's Fox Tail Inferno, Angewomon's Celestial Arrow, and Mystimon's Core Dart. The attacks went past Tesshin, most of them hitting the back wall. When the smoke from the explosions cleared, there was a spot on the wall that had not been hit by anything, in the shape of a human. However, Tesshin still stood. He now held a short Japanese sword in his hand, which he had apparently used to deflect everything that had come his way. Mystimon growled, "Impossible!"

Tesshin calmly sheathed his sword and smiled, "Perhaps you should try one on one. While numbers in a war often means victory, but against a single skilled opponent, numbers confuse the ranks and often leads to defeat. I am shocked you did not know that yourself."

Vincent grinned, "One on one, eh? Alright, fine. I'll fight you first."

Kyubimon nudged his hand with her muzzle, "Be careful. You may like to fight fair, but that doesn't mean he will. He's a ninja. They rely on trickery and deception to win."

"Yeah, yeah, I gotcha," Vincent said. He walked a few feet closer to Tesshin, "So, you think you can beat me?"

"It depends," Tesshin said matter-of-factly, "Are you good enough, American boy?"

"My homeland doesn't matter one bit. I was raised by the best fighter in the world, and that's good enough for me. Oh yeah, speaking of my homeland… You're all gonna pay for attacking the human world."

Tesshin laughed, "If you can defeat me and then Renee, then yes, we will."

Vincent growled and leapt at him, "Don't speak so lightly of your crimes!"

Tesshin sidestepped and kicked Vincent into a wall. He put his arms behind his back, "I won't even use my hands. I will not need to."

Vincent stood again and swung his sword at him. Tesshin moved back to where the sword barely missed him and kicked it out of Vincent's hands. He kicked Vincent in the chin, knocking him down, "Will you not fight as a warrior?"

"What..?"

"Hand to hand combat is the basis for all forms of martial arts. Only a fool would entrust his life to a weapon."

Vincent grinned and readied his fists, "You're right… Bring it on, ninja boy."

Tesshin disappeared and hit Vincent from behind, appearing in front of him and knocking him back again shortly after. He kept appearing and disappearing, striking quickly, never using his fists. Vincent fell to the floor, unconscious. Tesshin sighed, "How boring…"

Renamon snarled, "Dammit…"

Sora shook his head, "I won't be able to do much against this guy… Speed isn't exactly my forte… But I have to do something!"

Tesshin turned to him, "You will fight me, too?"

"You bet I will," Sora threw his sword at Tesshin. He waited for him to dodge and ran in, punching him into a wall. Sora did not waste any time, following him and punching him against the wall, making a large dent.

Tesshin quickly kicked him away and stood, a bit dazed, "Impressive… What you lack in speed, you have in both brute strength and the quick thinking to confuse your enemy."

Sora got ready again, "I'm ex-military. It comes with the program."

"Interesting. Unfortunately, our battle must come to a close," Tesshin leapt forward and kicked Sora in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. He kicked Sora in the face and then kicked him against the wall. Sora was out, as well.

Gatomon leapt at Tesshin, "You'll regret that!"

Renamon called to her, "No, wait!"

"Lightning Paw--"

Tesshin kicked Gatomon into the air, making her hit against the ceiling. As she fell back down, he kicked her to the ground and across the floor. Weakened, she de-Digivolved to her Rookie form, Salamon: A puppy-like Digimon with large blue eyes and a golden collar. He shook his head, "Unfortunate. She could have been awake to possibly defeat me later."

Wizardmon turned to Eri, "We cannot take him alone. I suggest we both fight him at once."

"As much as I hate to do so, you're right. If he was not the evil person he was, I'd like to see who was the better ninja," Eri said. She and Wizardmon stepped up, "We will be your next opponents. Wizardmon and I fight as one entity."

"Admirable," Tesshin said, "but pointless. A human's bond with a Digimon, no matter how it may seem, is only skin-deep."

"Says you, you heartless bastard!"

"Your Wizardmon will make a fine collection to the Digimon I have corrupted. As will the fox boy's Renamon and the soldier's Gatomon. If you think you have what it takes to defeat me, then prove it."

Wizardmon held his staff out in front of him and began to gather the same blue energy that he usually used, "Ready, Eri?"

"You got it," Eri said, swinging her kusarigama around to gather momentum.

Wizardmon fired the energy, "Magical Game!"

Eri hurled her kusarigama at Tesshin, "How's this!"

Tesshin dodged the thunder and the blade, "You are both too slow."

"You're just too stupid."

The energy hit Tesshin in the back, knocking him forward, "Aah! What..?"

Wizardmon started to charge another attack, "Bet you weren't expecting that."

Eri recalled her kusarigama, "And I doubt you can figure it out."

Tesshin saw the light reflect off of the kusarigama's blade, "You reflected your attack off of the weapon… You, girl, you missed on purpose."

"Oh, no, you're just too clever," Eri said tauntingly, "I guess we'll have to try something else, right?"

Wizardmon nodded, "Already working on it."

Tesshin let out an angry sounding huff and leapt at Wizardmon, kicking him into Eri and knocking them both against the wall, "It is impolite to make a fool out of your host."

"It's also impolite to attack your guests," Eri shouted, swinging the chain of her kusarigama at him and wrapping it around his legs. She pulled it quickly, knocking him off his feet. Wizardmon quickly stood and channeled a fireball into his hands. He threw it at Tesshin, but the ninja rolled to the side and avoided it. He leapt to his feet and kicked his leg backward, pulling Eri's kusarigama out of her hand. Eri growled and ran at him, her fist drawn back, "Bastard!"

Tesshin took her punch and kicked her into the air, following up with a kick to the ribs, flooring her. Wizardmon, in a fit of rage, channeled every bit of magical energy he could gather into his staff and fired it at Tesshin, "Magical Game!"

The energy took the form of a large laser beam which blew a hole in the side of the tower. Wizardmon, exhausted from the attack, collapsed. Renamon and Tesshin were the only two left standing. Renamon closed her paws into fists, "So… You're definitely worthy of your bragging. But you won't defeat me."

"You are weak without your Tamer," Tesshin gloated, "You are nothing."

Renamon snarled, "We'll see."

The two simply stood there for a moment, each trying to anticipate the other's next move. In a flash, they were both gone, vanishing and appearing in a clash of two speed fighters. A true ninja-to-ninja battle. Renamon appeared behind Tesshin and went for a Wisteria Punch, but the old Administrator saw it coming and simply jumped over it, kicking her in the face. With a burst of anger, Renamon grabbed him by his leg and threw him against one of the computer terminals. She held out her arms, crystalline shards appearing in front of her, "Diamond Storm!"

The shards hit the computer, causing it to short out and electrocute Tesshin. The ninja managed to pull himself off of the computer, leapt at Renamon, and punched her in the face, knocking her down. He cracked his knuckles, "Impressive… You made me use my fists. None of the others were able to do that. Your combination of strength, speed, and intelligence is most satisfying. You will be the one who stands by my side when this is over, and your Tamer is dead."

Renamon stood, barely able to stay on her feet, "Never… I won't let Vincent die!"

Tesshin shook his head, "Unnecessary determination. A true ninja accepts defeat gracefully and without argument."

"I don't care about your dated ninja ways… I'm _not_ a ninja. I'm a Digimon. I'm a partner to a wonderful human, who has been so kind to me… I won't accept death until the Digital World is safe from people like you!"

"I see… Well then, I am sorry for having to end the battle in unnecessary violence," Tesshin vanished, reappeared behind her, and hit her in the back of the head, knocking her unconscious. He pressed a button on the main computer and spoke into the microphone, "Bring the Gazimon up here. I will need help preparing them."

Vincent awoke feeling like all of the blood in his body was in his head. Upon examining his situation, he realized that he was right. He and his friends were all tied upside down over a metal floor. He struggled to get free, "Hey, what the…"

"Relax," Renamon said, a few feet away from him, "It's tied tight. Save your energy."

"Renamon… You guys couldn't…"

"No. He is too strong for any of us to defeat."

"Where is that bastard… I'll tear him apart!"

"He is over there," Renamon motioned with her head. Tesshin sat in his meditative posture once again. A bunch of Gazimon were busy working the controls on the computers.

Tesshin stood and faced them, "Ah, so you are awake."

Sora opened his eyes, "Oh, gimmie a break…"

"Humans, you will all die here today. As for your Digimon, fear not. They will live. They will be under my personal command for as long as the Administrators rule the Digital World."

"They don't _rule_ anything," Vincent growled, "We won't let it come to that!"

"You have no choice. Now, you humans will pay for interfering with the Administrators and die in the most excruciating way possible. Gazimon, open the pit."

One of the Gazimon pulled a lever, and the floor below the humans and their Digimon opened. In this pit, there were at least twenty spider-like Digimon with yellow faces, nine green eyes, what looked like bright orange-red hair, red-clawed feet, and a skull and crossbones symbol on its back. Renamon snarled, "Dokugumon…"

"Yes," Tesshin said, "Humans, you will be lowered into this pit of hungry Dokugumon and eaten alive. Well, how long you can be seen as alive will depend on them. It is a punishment most fitting for little flies like yourselves."

Sora shuttered, "Man, why'd it have to be spiders..?"

"Big bad Sora's afraid of spiders," Eri asked.

"I had a bad experience… And I'm about to have a worse one!"

The Gazimon pulled another lever, which started to make the ropes holding the Tamers slowly lower. Tesshin watched with a sort of sick enjoyment, "It is too bad it had to end this way. Had you all surrendered and joined us, you could have undoubtedly made most powerful Administrators."

"Bite me," Vincent shouted. One of the Dokugumon tried to jump up at him, its fangs dripping with venom. Vincent whimpered, "I wasn't talking to _you_!"

Renamon shut her eyes tight, "Vincent!"

Gatomon struggled to escape her ropes, "I… can't… let… Sora… _die_!"

Wizardmon tried with all his might to conjure up some kind of spell, but nothing was working, "There is something suppressing my magic… Forgive me, Eri."

Eri sighed, "I guess this is it, guys…"

"Yep," Sora said, trying not to think about the spiders below them.

"I want you all to know that I love you guys. All of you."

Vincent growled, "There has to be a way… to get out of here..! Renamon…"

A tear escaped Renamon's eye, "V-Vincent… I can't let you go like this… Not before I tell you how I…"

Vincent shut his eyes tight, "Alright, Dokugumon! Go ahead and sink your damn fangs into me! I hope my insides spoil before you get to them!"

Eri did the same, "Yeah!"

Sora whimpered and copied them, "W-What they said!"

Renamon snarled, "I won't let you die!"

Tesshin laughed, "It is over. You might as well say goodbye now, for you will soon forget everything about your beloved Tamer."

A gust of wind surrounded Renamon, autumnal leaves appearing out of nowhere around her, "I'll never give up! Even if it seems pointless to keep going. I was not _made_ to give up! I was made to win! Kohenkyo!"

The leaves completely enveloped Renamon, and the same thing happened to one of the Gazimon. In a flash, Renamon had completely switched places with the Gazimon. She batted the enslaved Digimon away from the lever and pulled it the other way, making the ropes go back up. Vincent sighed with relief, "Renamon, when I get out of here…"

Tesshin frowned, "You annoy me, fox. That is unwise."

Vincent's Digivice started to emit a familiar light, and the same voice it had spoken in before spoke, "Program updated. Beginning program: Matrix Digivolve."

Vincent gasped, "Matrix..?"

Renamon's body started to shine, "I don't care for what you have to say. It was you Administrators who ordered the death of my first Tamer, and it was you who attempted to kill my current one. I will never forgive you, no matter how many times you beg. Although once you are dead, I won't have to worry about _that_ anymore."

"Your overconfidence will be your undoing. Prepare to die, Renamon," Tesshin threw a handful of shurikens at her, but they were stopped by an unseen force, "What is…"

Renamon became enveloped in a bright light, and her body began to grow taller. A white and purple robe with long sleeves and yellow symbols appeared on her. A yin-yang symbol appeared on the chest of the robe. Three diamond-shaped markings appeared between her eyes, and white shoulder pads appeared on her robe. Finally, a purple Buddhist-style hat appeared on her head. The light faded, "Renamon Matrix Digivolves to… Taomon!"

Vincent gaped at his partner, "Wow…"

Gatomon cheered, "She did it! She reached Ultimate level!"

Taomon kicked the lever behind her, closing the pit of Dokugumon, much to the others' relief, especially Sora's. She held out her hands, sending out a few glowing red spell papers, which flew behind her and cut her friends free. She spoke without turning away from Tesshin, "I will need all the help I can get. Think you all can still Digivolve?"

Gatomon smiled, "All the excitement jumpstarted my energy. I'm in!"

Wizardmon tapped his staff on the ground, causing a faint white light to appear around himself and Gatomon. Their wounds from earlier healed, and their energy was completely restored. He got into his fighting stance, "I will assist you as well."

Eri held out her Digivice, "Let's go, Wizardmon!"

Sora did the same, "Gatomon, looks like it's time for a little payback!"

Their Digivices started to glow.

"Gatomon Digivolves to… Angewomon!"

"Wizardmon Digivolves to… Mystimon!"

Three Ultimate level Digimon now stood before Tesshin, ready to send him his punishment. Vincent drew his sword, "Taomon! I'll back you up! We'll make sure the Gazimon all survive, so when you beat this guy they can go free!"

Taomon smiled, "Thank you. We will suffice in beating Mr. Ninja here."

Tesshin scoffed, "You think that three Ultimates can beat me when two could not? I find that rather insulting."

Taomon turned to Angewomon and Mystimon, "Ready, you two?"

"You got it," Mystimon said, readying his crystal ball.

Angewomon pulled back an arrow, "I never miss."

Tesshin got ready to vanish, "You cannot hit what you cannot see."

Taomon held her arms out to her sides, releasing more spell papers, "Thousand Spells!"

The papers attached themselves to Tesshin and glowed brightly, immobilizing him. Tesshin struggled, but could not free himself, "Wh-What…"

Angewomon released her arrow, "Celestial Arrow!"

Mystimon held out his crystal ball and fired his spike projectiles at Tesshin, "Core Dart!"

The attacks hit Tesshin, but he was quite strong from the data infusion. Taomon put her arms back to her sides. She held her right arm out a bit, and a large brown paintbrush emerged from her sleeve. She grasped it in her hands and painted a symbol in the air in front of her, "Talisman of Light!"

The talisman glowed brightly and released a beam of pure white light onto Tesshin. The light tore through the data that he had placed inside his body, dispersing it. Tesshin fell to the floor and let out a pained grunt, "D-Damn…"

Taomon twirled her brush and replaced it into her sleeve. She knelt down to Tesshin and picked him up by his collar, "Where is Renee? _Tell me_!"

Tesshin laughed, "Very well… You have proven yourself to be quite a fighter, Renamon… Although I would have loved to have had you by my side as we conquered the Digital World, it seems my time is short--"

"Quit stalling and tell me!"

"As you wish… Renee is on the Mother continent. You will find her most difficult. However, I do believe you can defeat her…"

"Why are you saying this?"

Tesshin smiled and closed his eyes, "When I first peered into the Digital World, I saw opportunities left and right. I saw new challenges ahead of me, and that is what drove me. When the Administrators took control of the gate to the Digital World, I joined them, thinking that I could find someone worthy of my skills and fight them to the bitter end. Now, Renamon, thanks to you… my purpose in the Digital World, as an Administrator, and as a human… was fulfilled."

"What are you--"

"My very purpose… was to fight someone stronger than I. Not to win, but to fight in general. That was my wish, and you have granted it."

Taomon dropped him, "No goal but to fight like a barbarian. Pathetic."

Tesshin's smile vanished, "Never judge until you have lived life the same as the one you judge…"

His last breath escaped him. Tesshin was dead. His data formed in a cloud above his body. A figure climbed into the hole in the window. It was Katsu. He held out his Digivice and collected Tesshin's data, "Very good. Only one left. I'll be there when you fight Renee. You're going to need all the help you can get."

Vincent's brow furrowed, "Well then… See you there."

Katsu nodded and jumped out the window. Lupimon caught him as he fell, and they both departed. Taomon turned to the others, "Well then, is everyone--"

Vincent ran over to her and hugged her, "Renamon-- Taomon-- whatever you call yourself now… Thank you."

Taomon smiled, "Vincent…"

Angewomon and Mystimon de-Digivolved and joined their partners. Gatomon leapt into Sora's arms, "Sora! I thought I was gonna lose you forever!"

Sora held her close, "I know… I'm sorry I made you worry…"

Eri ran over to Wizardmon and embraced him tightly, "Wizardmon!"

Wizardmon gasped for air, but laughed at the same time, "Eri… I appreciate the affection, but you're cutting off my circulation..!"

Eri loosened her grip, "I love you to death…"

"I can tell," Wizardmon said with a smile.

Renamon de-Digivolved and held onto Vincent, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Vincent said, tears streaming from his eyes, "R-Renamon, you saved us…"

Renamon saw his tears, and could not find words to soothe them. She simply allowed herself to cry as well, "I will never let you die, like I let Rika…"

"I know… Thank you, Renamon."

Sora cleared his throat, "I really hate to interrupt, but… we should get moving."

Vincent and Renamon immediately released each other, both of their faces red, "Right…"

They uploaded the protection program and left the tower. As they walked to the teleporter, Vincent and Renamon hung back a bit so they could talk. "So," Vincent said, "you satisfied with your strength now?"

"For the moment," Renamon said, "However, we should focus on reaching Mega level as soon as possible."

"Don't be such a workaholic. Take it a step at a time. I doubt many Digimon could stand up to those attacks of yours anyway," Vincent said with a smile.

Renamon smiled and put her arm around his shoulders, "You're such a sweet talker. I don't see how you don't have some girlfriend waiting back in the human world for you."

Vincent's face went red, "Well, uh… I kinda never… tried."

"Really?"

"You remember what I was like when we first met. I was like that since my biological parents died. Then when I met you, I softened up again. Besides, romance isn't something I worried too much about."

"Really? I thought you human kids were jumping into relationships these days."

"Nah, not me."

"I see," Renamon said. She thought to herself, "Does he still think the same way? Maybe he's changed by now…"

"Who knows what kind of woman the world has in store for me," Vincent said. He chuckled, "I bet she'll be a nag. Just my luck."

Renamon laughed, "Oh, I bet."

"Yeah. A nag. Just like…"

"Just like who?"

Vincent paused and his face went red, "Um, no one. Never mind."

Renamon sighed, "If you insist…"

Vincent laughed sheepishly and kept walking. "Geez," he thought, "Did I really mean that? I'm pretty sure I know what I _wanted_ to say…"

He shrugged and kept walking, deciding not to let it get to him. They went back to Datamon's lab and reported their victory. Datamon was as enthusiastic as ever, "Great job, everyone! And congratulations, Renamon, for reaching Ultimate level!"

Renamon laughed, "Thank you."

Eri shrugged, "So, when are going to take care of Renee?"

"Oh, you can't leave immediately," Datamon said, "You all need to rest after that battle. I'm sure taking the rest of today off won't hurt you."

"Yeah, he's right," Sora said, "Besides, I need to get the image of those damn spiders out of my head…"

Eri patted him on the back, "Ah, Sora, you'll be fine."

"Thank you. I sure as hell hope so, because I'll be damned if I die in battle because of a stray thought about a spider," Sora mumbled, "It'd be a freakin' embarrassment…"

Gatomon laughed, "I guess Sora's like an elephant. Big and strong, but the smallest things scare him."

"Well, _Gatomon_, I don't recall those spiders being very _small_, do you?"

"So only big ones scare you?"

"Yes!"

"Oh… Damn, I was gonna scare you," Eri laughed.

"Gee, thanks…"

"I'm kidding!"

Renamon sighed, "Now, now, children… Let's not fight, ok?"

"Who're you calling 'children'? I'm an adult," Sora said.

"Really? How old?"

"Eighteen."

"You're still a child to me."

"Ok then, Renamon, how old are _you_?"

Vincent raised an eyebrow at Renamon, "Yeah, I kinda wonder that, too, sometimes."

Renamon crossed her arms, thinking, "Hmm… Well, I don't usually care about my age, but… If my data tells me correctly, I was created in the year 2000."

Sora snickered, "You're 34 years old? Damn, I thought you were at _least_ in your early twenties or something along those lines!"

"She acts older than 34," Eri said, laughing.

Renamon growled, "I do not!"

"Miss Naggy Renamon, you do so!"

Vincent sighed, "My gods…"

Renamon looked at him, "Don't tell me _you're_ gonna make fun of me too!"

"No, I'm not."

"Thank you."

"Still… In all honesty, I thought you were younger."

"Digimon do not age like humans. Our data deteriorates very slowly."

"So in other words, you live longer?"

"A lot longer. Try three times as long as the average human."

"Wow… Are there any Digimon who have lived for that long?"

"Yes. The flow of time is much different here, so the Digital World has progressed much longer than the human world. One day in the human world is equal to quite a long time in the Digital World."

"Considering how long ago computers were actually created, that gives a good amount of time for this world to develop."

"Exactly."

Sora nodded, "Interesting… So in reality, all this time we've been here would only be…"

"Probably only a few hours," Renamon said.

Eri stretched her arms into the air, "This is all very interesting, but I think we should all get some rest."

"I agree," Wizardmon said, "Let's be in top shape for tomorrow."

They all went to bed early that night, for tomorrow they would face the last (to their knowledge) of the Administrators, Renee Zaibet.


	17. The Child Administrator

-1The Child Administrator

Renee sat in her assigned Focus Tower, bored out of her mind. She stretched and spun the chair around a few times, "Phooey… I hate guard duty."

She stood and checked all of the security monitors. Of course, nothing was wrong. Nothing ever _was_. She gnawed on one of her sleeves and walked around for a bit. Not finding any satisfaction in this, she went back over to the computer and pressed a button. She spoke into the microphone, "Hey, Maria, send me a playmate, would ya?"

A slightly aggravated voice came from the speakers, "What kind?"

"Something cute for a change. That last one was a bit too creepy for my taste."

"Yes, ma'am."

The sound of the elevator going down was music to her ears. She hugged her knees to her chest and started rocking back and forth, a big smile on her face, "Yay, someone to play with!"

The voice of the secretary came again, "Would you like one that is controlled or wild?"

"Wild, dammit! Controlled Digimon are so _boring_…"

"As you wish…"

"You don't sound very enthusiastic, Maria."

The secretary coughed and seemed to panic for a moment, "S-Sorry, ma'am. I'll try harder from now on."

"I'm joking. _Joking_! Geez, you all take your roles way too seriously…"

"O-Of course, ma'am. It's our job."

"Yeah, yeah, job, shmob," she leaned back in her seat, "And what's taking so long, anyway?"

"In case you didn't realize it by now, wild Digimon are quite hard to contain-- Hey, grab her, dammit!"

Renee leaned forward and sighed, "What's going on _now_?"

"Those idiots let her get out of her fucking cage! God dammit, get her still!"

"Oi… Tell them if they don't get her in _five minutes_ I'm coming down there myself!"

"You heard her, get that damn thing back in its cage!"

The voices of the two Administrator men were heard, "Y-Yes, ma'am!"

Renee leaned back in her seat and let out a loud sigh, "Man, where do they _find_ these people..?"

The sound of the elevator coming back up made her smile again, "Good, I won't have to teach them a lesson."

The elevator stopped at the top and opened. The two Administrators who had been assigned to catch Renee's playmate stepped out with a rattling metal cage. The one on the left saluted her half-heartedly, exhausted from the chase, "H-Here's the Digimon you requested, ma'am. We apologize for the delay."

Renee spun the chair around and pointed her revolver at him, "Don't let it happen again!"

"S-Sorry, ma'am! It won't happen again, we swear!"

"Ok, you guys _really_ need to grow a sense of humor," Renee said, pulling the trigger. A plume of confetti came out of the barrel of the gun, "See? It's fake."

The Administrator heaved a sigh of relief, "God dammit…"

"Aww, I'm sorry. Rough day?"

"I had to catch this little monster. You tell me."

"Ok then. Both of you get an early break."

"R-Really?"

"Yep! Go ahead!"

"Th-Thank you, ma'am! We will not forget your kindness!"

"Geez, just go already," Renee said, waving them away.

The two Administrators left and Renee went for the cage, which was still rattling. She cautiously released the locks and opened the cage. As soon as the top was even slightly opened, a black Gatomon look-alike with yellow eyes and dark blue claw gloves jumped out and got into a fighting stance. She growled at Renee, "You ready to _die_, human!"

Renee's eyes lit up, "Kitty!"

"_Excuse_ me?"

Renee lunged for the Digimon, her arms open, "Awwwwwwwwww, such a _cutie_, too!"

The cat Digimon jumped back, letting Renee trip and hit the floor, "What are you _doing_!"

Renee immediately stood and tried again, "Hold still, kitty!"

This time she got hold of her, and the cat Digimon started struggling, "What the hell is going on! I got caught for _this_! I don't know what's worse: Dying at the hands of a human, or this _embarrassment_!"

Renee started to nuzzle the side of her face, "Awww, kitty's mad? I'm not gonna hurt you."

The Digimon sighed and gave up trying to escape, "Is this your way of torturing me before you turn me into one of your puppets?"

"Huh? Why would I do that?"

"That seems to be a big thing with you Administrators."

Renee loosened her grip a bit, "I'm not gonna corrupt you. I just wanted someone to play with."

"You're… not lying, are you? Just who are you?"

"I'm Renee Zaibet, the fifth Administrator. And who are you?"

"BlackTailmon. You're not like the other Administrators, are you?"

"Well, I don't take my job as seriously as all of those workaholics downstairs, if that's what you mean."

"I mean you're not as cruel as them, either."

"Cruel?"

"You enslave Digimon and kill anyone who opposes you. I'd call that cruel."

Renee shrugged, "It's the dawn of a new age. There are always quarrels in times like this, and sometimes it leads to the deaths of many people. Most of which are innocent."

"That's your justification! You Administrators all sicken me," BlackTailmon pushed her way out of Renee's arms.

"Hey, even if we kill people, their data is reformatted into other things, so why is it such a big deal to you?"

"You humans wouldn't understand. You barely realize that others of you own kind have souls, so why would you realize it for Digimon?"

Renee sighed and leaned back, "Digimon have souls, huh? I've been doing this for a long time and I haven't seen a soul in one."

"Maybe that's because you work with the ones you enslave," BlackTailmon lunged at Renee with her fist ready, "Lightning Paw!"

Renee simply moved her head to the side, dodging the punch. She grabbed BlackTailmon by the tail, "Don't try that again. I'd hate to have to terminate you."

BlackTailmon snarled, "Dammit…"

"So, kitty, I have a question for you."

"What?"

"Who made you? Who designed your AI? I've always wanted to know that, but I could never get a straight answer out of any of the Administrators."

"AI? What are you talking about?"

"AI. Artificial Intelligence."

"All of a sudden our intelligence is artificial? I take it back, you're just as cruel as the others. You're just not physically cruel."

Renee frowned, "I'm being cruel..?"

"It sounds like you're calling Digimon stupid."

"Well, I'm not saying _that_. You're definitely not stupid-- Your behavior and response programs are top of the line. Most Digimon talk and act like humans."

"If we acted like humans, we'd be slavers just like you."

"Not all humans are slavers. Most of them are, but there are a few who want to stop us. There's not much of a balance that way, but it's not our fault that they don't play the way we do. I guess it's just more fun to people these days to play the bad guys."

BlackTailmon growled, "This is all _play_ to you? What do we look like to you? Some kind of virtual pets that you can kick around and laugh at? Well we're not!"

Renee giggled, "Whoever designed you has a good sense of humor, apparently. I like you, BlackTailmon."

"Yeah, well I'm thinking of ripping your frail human body in half."

"I'm too strong for that, you know. I'm one of the best Administrators in Digiworld. I can beat _anyone_ and _anything_ that comes my way," Renee said proudly. Her computer started to beep and she stood and walked over to it. She pressed the PTT (push-to-talk) button for the microphone, "Yeah?"

"Ma'am, there's news from Route Continent. Tesshin is dead," Maria said.

"Tesshin? What happened to him?"

"The Digimon Tamers killed him. They'll probably be after you next."

Renee smiled anxiously, "Thank you, Maria. Is that all?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Renee walked back over to BlackTailmon and smiled, "It looks like my hard work will have paid off, too. Now I get to fight the Tamers and their super-strong Digimon all at once! It's so exciting, I'm _tingling_ with anticipation!"

"You're almost too cute to be the brute you are," BlackTailmon said contemptuously.

"I became an Administrator thinking that I'd be able to fight the most powerful Digimon in the world. Then when I was stuck in this _stupid tower_, I thought boredom would _kill_ me before I'd get a good challenge. And then _they_ showed up… Vincent and his friends, and then Katsu the lone Tamer. I had always hoped that they would kill off the others so they could get to me, and when I beat them Master Deus would shower me with praise! Then, maybe, I can _finally_ get out of this _stupid tower _and have some _real_ fun," Renee said, laughing cheerfully at the idea.

BlackTailmon turned away from her, "You're insane…"

"Insane for liking to play the way the game is _meant_ to be played? You Digimon, you're all the same. All goody-goods to the end," she looked BlackTailmon over a few times, "You know… I rather like those gloves."

"Good for you."

Renee grinned and approached her, "I wonder if they'll come with your data…"

BlackTailmon quickly turned around and went to punch her, "I think not!"

Renee grabbed her and started to absorb her data, "You were boring anyway. Bye-bye, kitty."

BlackTailmon screamed in agony, "No, stop! Stop!"

Renee's smile started to fade as she saw the look of pain on BlackTailmon's face. She stopped the absorption process and fed the data back into her body. BlackTailmon gasped, "Wh-Wha…"

Renee dropped her and crossed her arms, "I… I don't want it anymore. I changed my mind. Be thankful."

"You… didn't kill me."

"I didn't need to, so I didn't," Renee said quickly. She went over to her computer and pressed the PTT, "Maria, have someone come and get this Digimon, please."

"Yes ma'am," Maria said. The elevator started to go down.

Renee sat in her chair, "I don't need to care about those I kill… but that face of hers…"

BlackTailmon approached the chair carefully, "You're not like the others…"

"Go away."

"Do you really want to keep killing--"

"I said _go away_!"

BlackTailmon recoiled, "If you won't kill me now, then there is hope for you. You don't have to be evil."

Renee turned the chair around, her eyes filled with tears, "Shut up! I'm doing what I want to do, and no stupid cat is gonna make me change that!"

"If you're an Administrator, then you shouldn't be merciful, right? You're being merciful."

"Do you want me to _change_ that," Renee asked, standing. She held her arm out to the side, materializing a katana in her hand. She pointed it at BlackTailmon, "Well!"

"Who are you trying to convince," BlackTailmon asked, not flinching, "Me, or you?"

Renee gasped and stood there for a long time. She reabsorbed the sword and turned away from her. She spoke sadly and unenthusiastically, "Don't give the guys who come up here a hard time."

BlackTailmon let her ears droop and her head tilt downward. She sighed, "Stubbornness can lead to your downfall… Just remember that."

"What do you care?"

"I know you have a lot of potential to do a lot of good in this world. I can tell. But you're too far along this path of evil to change now, I see…"

The elevator stopped at their floor and opened. Two Administrator men walked out, holding BlackTailmon's cage between the two of them. Renee spoke without turning to them, "Take her."

"Yes, ma'am," they both said at the same time.

BlackTailmon sighed, "Well… I guess that's it then. But… I won't go down…"

One of the Administrators reached for her, "C'mon, let's go."

"…without a fight," BlackTailmon quickly hit the Administrator with an uppercut, sending him flying toward the back wall.

"Look out, she's loose," the other one said, reaching for his gun.

BlackTailmon jumped into the air and kicked the Administrator in the face, "Lightning Kick!"

Renee sighed, "Are you two _serious_? She's only a Champion level for god's sake! A blind one-armed monkey with a rusty butter knife could do better than that!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but it's not that simple," the other Administrator said, standing.

BlackTailmon leapt at him and jammed her claws into his throat, killing him, "Die, human!"

Renee materialized her revolver in her hand and fired, hitting BlackTailmon in the spine. The cat Digimon cringed and fell forward. Renee walked over to her, "You should have taken my advice. You wouldn't have had to die today."

"Death would be a blessing to everything in the Digital World if the Administrators won… So what's wrong with me dying now? I would have become a slave anyway…"

Renee knelt down and placed her hand on BlackTailmon. Her hand started to glow, and she began absorbing her data, "Your pride and free will led to your death. My master was right to start this revolution in the Digital World. I would have been bored to death if he hadn't."

"D-Do you think this is a game..? The lives of Digimon and humans alike-- Are they all meaningless factors in a game that you can just replace? Is that how you see it?"

"What are you talking about? Of course it is. I see a game _as_ a game. Those who take it further are stupid."

"The Digital World is _not_ a game. It's a real world, with real people… and real death."

Renee shook her head, "To you, maybe. You were created here, in the Digital World. To you it's real, but it's nothing but a game to humans. The reason? Simple: Because we _made_ you. Apparently we made you too well, if you're starting to deny your programming."

BlackTailmon closed her eyes, awaiting the end, "You'll see, some day…"

Renee completely absorbed her and stood. She held her hands out, materializing the dark blue gloves that once belonged to BlackTailmon, "They fit well… Then again, so does everything I absorb."

The second Administrator finally stood and dragged his dead comrade to the elevator, "I'm sorry, ma'am. We failed to meet your expectations."

Renee turned to him, a cold look on her face. For some reason, that face was terrifying to look at. Renee reabsorbed the gloves and brought out her Vulcan. She pointed it at the Administrator and started spinning the barrels, "You're right. You've become obsolete. Goodbye."

The Administrator screamed and pressed the elevator button multiple times. As the door started to close, Renee started firing. The bullets hit the man and went straight through him. He collapsed as the door completely closed and the elevator went down. Renee put her Vulcan away and sighed, "People really need to learn how to get better, or they'll have to keep dying."

She sat on her chair and picked up a picture frame that she had put there. It showed her with a tall muscular man with long red hair and amber eyes. He was dressed in an Administrator's uniform and carried a large double Vulcan machine gun. She sighed, "Zakk… I wish you were still here, fighting with us. It was much more fun with you around."

She shook her head and put the picture down. She pressed the PTT again, "Maria, I'm gonna go for now. I'll talk to you all later."

"Ok, ma'am," Maria said, "Bye."

Renee, in her mind, went home. However, her body stayed there, sitting in her chair. When Renee described the Digital World as a game, she was not kidding.

Deus sat in his chamber in the main Administrator base. His eyes slowly opened, "Renee has… 'logged out', I see. No matter. If the Tamers attack, I will log her back in."

The master of the Administrators sat contemplating his next move. For if Renee failed, it would be up to him, and him alone, to stop the Tamers from destroying his plans for the Digital World…


	18. A Fierce Battle and

-1A Fierce Battle and Devastating Revelations

The Tamers and their Digimon partners arrived on the Mother continent, where the fifth and final Focus Tower stood. The teleporter had brought them to a building instead of an open field this time. The building looked like another lab that was occupied by several other Digimon. Datamon's voice came from each of the Tamers' Digivices, "This is the first lab that I have established outside the Server continent. I plan to put at least one on each continent."

"You have some kinda business going on, or something," Vincent asked him.

"I'm a scientist. I have to be able to get samples and information from any point available so I can get good results."

They exited the lab and saw that they were in the middle of a large city. Renamon looked around, "It's a lot bigger than I imagined…"

"What, the city," Vincent asked.

"Yes. Terabyte City was one of the first big cities in the Digital World. In fact, I think it _is_ the first. It's not so much of a city than it is a metropolis."

Eri laughed sarcastically, "Great, big city… Watch your belongings."

"It's not that bad," Wizardmon said, "There are, thankfully, not too many bad Digimon that live in cities. They tend to ambush travelers more than pickpocket people."

"Like it's any better," Sora said, shaking his head.

"Well, it is for us," Gatomon said cheerfully.

Vincent sighed, "Of course _you'd_ say that…"

Eri looked at her Digivice and pressed the map button. A holographic screen popped up, which was similar to the Digimon scan function, and showed the map of the city, "This place is huge. I guess the big gap in the middle is the Focus Tower."

"Yes," Renamon said, "They thought that building around it would make it harder to get to. They were obviously wrong."

"That's artificial intelligence for you," Vincent joked.

Renamon went to hit him, "What was that..?"

"I'm kidding," Vincent immediately defended.

"Better be."

Wizardmon looked up at the tall buildings, "I wonder… Are all the Digimon here enslaved, too?"

"Better not chance it," Eri said, "If we make a bad move, there goes our cover."

"You're right. Let's go."

They made their way toward the Focus Tower, where the Administrators awaited their arrival. Meanwhile, Renee sat in preparation for her battle, whenever it would be. She watched out the window with a smile on her face, "It will be soon… He's coming. Vincent is coming, and we'll be able to fight soon…"

A voice came from her intercom, "Renee, one of our scouts has reported that the Tamers are on their way. I'm sending our--"

"Stop. Don't send anyone. Let them come."

"M-Ma'am, I don't think that--"

"Master Deus has already given me the ok. Let the Tamers and their Digimon come. I will be the ones to kill them."

The Tamers approached the Focus Tower with caution. Eri looked around and let out a low suspicious growl, "There's no guards… Not _one_. Something's not right."

Sora scratched the back of his head, "Hey, do you think Renee is out again?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well she obviously goes where she pleases. I mean, she _was_ at that restaurant that time, remember?"

"Yeah," Vincent said, "and she ran into the lab when Lupimon was chasing her. She doesn't seem to take guarding the Focus Towers very seriously."

"Maybe she's just overconfident," Renamon mused.

"Who knows."

Wizardmon adjusted his hat on his head, "Well, we wouldn't want to be rude and reject their obvious invitation."

"This 'obvious invitation' could be a trap," Eri said.

"No, actually I am perfectly confident that there will not be any traps involved."

"How do you figure?"

"Think about it. If Renee has the attitude we think she does, and constantly deserts her post, do you really think she bothers putting up traps to stop people?"

"You've got a point, but what about the other Administrators there?"

"If there were any, don't you think they would be out here? Their hold on this world depends on their control over the Focus Towers. I sincerely doubt that, if they were here, they would all stay inside."

"Sounds like a winner to me," Vincent said, "Well, let's go."

Meanwhile, in Beelzemon's secret installation…

Beelzemon sat in his chair, slightly irritated, "What do you mean 'there's only one left'? I distinctly remember six Administrators being in the report."

"I apologize, my lord," Karatenmon said, "but the death of Administrator Zakk was never recorded into their databanks. They never found out who or what caused it."

"So I'm _missing_ some Administrator data?"

"No, my lord. According to what I could find out, his data still exists in his killer, who is still alive."

"And no one knows who he is…"

"He is supposedly the same man who killed the original Digi-Destined and Tamers. More than that, I do not know."

Beelzemon nodded, "Good work, Karatenmon."

Katsu walked in with Oukamon following, "Lord Beelzemon, the Tamers have reached the fifth Focus Tower. Shall I proceed?"

"Yes. Go and assist them in whatever way you can. Just don't forget to get her data."

"Of course," Katsu said, turning to leave.

Beelzemon thought for a moment and then said, "Oh, and Katsu."

"Yes?"

"If you hear anything at all about Administrator Zakk, tell me."

Katsu was silent for a moment and nodded, "Of course."

Oukamon looked up at him, "Something wrong?"

He waited until they were out of the base to answer, "That name just brings back memories, that's all."

Vincent could not believe what he beheld: The Focus Tower was completely empty. It looked like there was some kind of activity shortly prior to their arrival, but no one was there. He crossed his arms, "Now _this_ is interesting…"

Eri examined the receptionist's desk, "There were people here not too long ago."

Renee's voice came from over the intercom, "Good day, Tamers. I'm glad you finally made it here!"

Sora loaded his gun, "Alright you little monster, how 'bout explaining what's going on?"

Renee giggled, "Surprised? I had all of the others leave through the back door before you all got here."

"Why?"

"So I could have the pleasure of killing you all myself, of course! Now, don't keep me waiting! Use the elevator and come to the top floor."

Vincent drew his sword, "Do you think this is some kind of game? _Someone_ is going to die today, Renee. Don't you realize that?"

Renee giggled again, "Vincent, Vincent, Vincent… Your logic never ceases to confuse me. Why you get so worked up about something like this, I will never understand. This is the Digital World. Everything restarts when it is killed."

"Not us, you little urchin! We're humans, not Digimon--"

"Just come to the top floor when you're ready to fight. Take too long, and I might just tell the others to come back in."

Sora went for the elevator, "Let's go."

Vincent looked down, "B-But…"

"We won't get another chance like this, kid, so let's move!"

"Yeah. You're right."

They went to the top floor and were greeted by Renee, who sat in her chair with a bored expression on her face. She lifted her head off of her hand, "You made me wait longer…"

"Who cares," Eri shot, "We're here now, right?"

"Yeaaaaah, I guess," Renee said happily. She hopped off of the chair and curtseyed to them, "Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Renee Zaibet, the Administrator of Many Faces."

"She even worked out a title for herself," Vincent sighed.

The elevator started to go down again, but Renee ignored it. She smiled, "Do you know why they call me that? As some of you may know, I can absorb the data and life force of everything I touch. It's not an automatic ability-- I can choose when it happens and when it doesn't. I have absorbed the powers of many Digimon in my time as an Administrator, and I have grown quite powerful if I do say so myself."

Sora pointed his gun at her, "We don't care about your goddamn monologue. We're just here to kill you."

"Pointing guns at your hostess, who so kindly let you in without so much of a 'stall them' to my guards? Sora, you were a lot more polite when I first talked to you."

Renamon held her hand out to Renee, "You don't have to fight us, Renee. I can tell that there is something in you that wants to stop all this. Please, listen to that part of you. We don't want to have to kill another human, especially one who has potential to repent for their misdoings…"

Renee frowned and cast her gaze downward, "I don't understand. Why do you clumps of data keep saying things like this? I'm doing just what was asked of me, and what will benefit the Digital World. What 'misdoings' are you referring to?"

"The killing of innocent lives, most of which had nothing to do with this conflict! The attempted takeover of a world where humans have no claim! Those are only two of the things you Administrators have done wrong."

"Right and wrong are both points of view. What is right is determined by the majority. When all Digimon bow before the Administrators, they will no longer be a relevant factor in that scenario. Thus, we are right, and you are _wrong_."

The elevator came up to the top floor and opened. Katsu stepped out with Oukamon at his side. He took his Vulcan off of the top of his back, "You honestly believe what you're saying?"

"Without a doubt."

"You really think the Digital World is just some game that humans play around in?"

"Because it _is_."

Oukamon growled, "Digimon are living things, just like you humans! To call our world a game is to insult our very existence!"

Renee glared at her, "The existence that we humans gave to you, you mean! Without us, you'd be nothing! You wouldn't even be here if it weren't for us!"

"It is true that the Digital World was first created when humans created the first computers. However, humans did _not_ create the Digital World. That is the misconception that led this 'revolution' in the first place. We owe nothing to humans. At least, nothing this… extreme."

"Don't make me destroy you all…"

Vincent pointed his sword at her, "Renee, isn't it obvious to you that this is a serious situation? If you let this go on from here, someone is going to get hurt… even _die_. Do you really believe that death in the Digital World is nothing more than a Game Over screen?"

Renee looked down again, closing her hands into fists, "I…"

"Well? Do you?"

A tear went down Renee's cheek, "Shut up! I don't care what you have to say! So what if the Digital World has some realism in it--"

"This _realism_," Sora said, "is not what you think it is. It is an actual reality. Face it, Renee. Whatever these guys have fed into your mind, it was a lie. You haven't been playing a game."

Renee's eyes opened wide in blatant realization. She let out a low, feral growl, "So what if I've been lied to… The Administrators gave me a purpose in life. Before this, I was wasting my time playing games and loafing around. At least now I get to be a part of something that will actually mean something! They are the only humans left that can see the world for what it actually is. I'm _glad_ they destroyed the human world."

Vincent growled, "Then you truly are lost. Blind devotion to something that even you see as evil… You're pathetic."

Renee leaned her head back, tears streaming down her face, "If I kill you all… I'll be able to forget everything you just told me. I hope you're ready to die!"

Katsu started to spin his Vulcan's barrels, "Forget talking to her, Vincent. She's strayed down a path that all Administrators have. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't save herself from it now. Just like that other one, whose gun I wield now."

Renee quickly looked at him, "Wh-What…?"

"Zakk. The first Administrator. I am his killer."

"You..!"

"He never told you, did he? That you were manipulated, I mean. I'm sure he wanted to, but by the time he realized it himself, he was too late. Let me tell you one thing, Renee… Zakk _asked_ me to kill him. No, to fight him."

"No! Zakk wouldn't… He wouldn't let himself die…"

"These were his exact words: 'We will fight today, Katsu… And if I am allowed to live through this battle, then I suppose my life is doomed to end in corruption'. I did as he asked, and destroyed him before he destroyed himself."

Renee collapsed to her knees, "NO!"

"He was just like you, Renee. Bent by lies. And he carried out his orders, no matter what. Just like I did."

Renee growled and slowly looked up at the group, "You're all Hell-sent… The lot of you! Why should I believe a word of that!"

"Believe what you want. I'm not here to reason with you. I work for someone else now, repeating my mistakes I made when working for Zakk. I just figured that, maybe, you should die knowing the truth. Maybe your data wouldn't spoil from the agony of your sins."

Vincent sighed, "Renee… Just give it up already. It's hard enough fighting someone who doesn't even want to."

Renee stood and materialized BlackTailmon's claw-gloves in her hands, "Then I guess it's gonna have to be hard, then. I don't care if I've been deceived, or if Katsu is telling the truth or not… I've come too far along this path to go back now. So… I ask of you all… If you win, kill me."

"Renee..!"

"Kill me quickly, so I don't have to suffer anymore," she let her head hang forward, "I've known this… all along, in the back of my mind, I think. I knew the Digital World wasn't just a game. But I ignored it. I deserve to die. But I won't simply let myself. You all need to fight me for it. Give me that, at least. I've been wanting to for so long now…"

Katsu nodded at Oukamon. The wolf Digimon started to shine, "Oukamon Matrix Digivolves to… Matrimon!"

Vincent let out a long sigh, "Renamon… You know what to do."

Renamon nodded, "Renamon Matrix Digivolves to… Taomon!"

Sora shook his head, "There's no other way…"

Gatomon jumped off of his shoulder, "Gatomon Digivolves to… Angewomon!"

"Wizardmon," Eri said, "… are sins ever forgiven?"

"Only if you try," her partner said. He stepped forward and joined his comrades, "Wizardmon Digivolves to… Mystimon!"

Renee gave them a slight smile, "That's good… Four opponents instead of the usual one or two. This will be… a day to remember. Now, come at me!"

Renee leapt at them with her new claw-gloves in fists. She quickly delivered punches to each Digimon she passed, knocking them back. For a little girl, she was quite strong. Taomon produced her paintbrush and flew at Renee, swinging her weapon with finesse. Renee dodged each strike and punched Taomon into a wall. One of Angewomon's arrows hit her in the back, but it dispersed before it went through her. As she turned around to face her, Mystimon hit her in the side with a Core Dart. She growled, "You're beginning to irritate me!"

Taomon got back up and reached into her pocket. She threw several red papers into the air, which began to glow. The papers started to fire small energy blasts at Renee, "Talisman Spell!"

Renee was hit, but showed no signs of giving up. She reabsorbed the gloves and brought out her Vulcan. She leapt back and started to spin the barrels, "Let's see how you like this!"

Katsu jumped in front of the group and started to do the same with his gun, "I know I'm crazy for doing this, but…"

Both of the guns started firing. Most of the bullets collided in midair, but a few got past, either whizzing past them or hitting them in non-vital areas. Both of them ran out ammo, and Katsu strapped his gun on his back. He leapt at Renee with his metal-clad arm drawn back, "Just die!"

Renee brought out her tower shield, which bent on impact. In her other hand she brought out one of the claw-gloves and punched Katsu back. She reabsorbed both of her current tools and replaced them with Commandramon's machine gun. Vincent growled, "Shit!"

Matrimon stepped in front of them and jumped at Renee. The machine gun started firing, but the bullets bounced off of her armor. She started to unleash a flurry of blows to Renee with the claws on her hands and feet, "Slice 'n Dice!"

Renee snarled and blasted her away with what looked like pure energy. The four Digimon lined up and sent all of their attacks at her at once: Taomon's Thousand Spells, Mystimon's Core Dart, Angewomon's Celestial Arrow, and Matrimon leaping in, ready to strike up close. Renee brought out her shield again, but it was destroyed and she was sent flying back against the wall. Matrimon landed in front of her, grabbed her by the collar, and sunk her large teeth into her shoulder, "Ravenous Bite!"

Renee screamed, "Get off of me, you animal!"

Matrimon released her and kicked off of her, rejoining the others. Renee stood, her vision blurring, "Wh-Wha…"

"That was a poisonous bite," Matrimon said, "Unfortunately, with your data infusion, it won't kill you. But I'll soon change that."

An evil grin appeared on Renee's face, "You're all fools… As you've been attacking me, I've been letting myself get hit."

"Now why would you do that," Vincent asked.

Renee laughed, "Why? Tell me, Vincent, what did I call myself earlier?"

"The Administrator of Many Faces?"

"That's right. I haven't been too badly hurt by your attacks because I've been _absorbing_ most of them. I've also been taking any kind of physical contact as that advantage, too."

Sora cringed, "Oh, great…"

Renee's body started to glow, "Now we'll see if you can stand up to your own abilities… and then some," she held her arms out to her sides, "Ultimate Infusion!"

Parts of some of the Digimon that Renee had absorbed began appearing on her body. On her back, Angewomon's wings. On her arms, Matrimon's metal gauntlets. In her right hand, Mystimon's sword. Covering her body, Taomon's robes. And finally, covering her head, WarGreymon's helmet. She grinned, although it was impossible to see under the helmet, "Now we'll see who's better!"

The Digimon all advanced on her, trying to end the battle as quickly as possible before Renee could destroy them. They were all bashed away with a combination of Mystimon's sword and energy attacks from Angewomon and WarGreymon. Taomon glanced at the sword, "It has… spell papers on it. Just like mine!"

Angewomon pulled an arrow back, "We can't just give up! So what if she has our abilities! Let's fight!"

Mystimon concentrated the flames on his sword so that they glowed brightly, "Right! We've come this far, haven't we?"

Matrimon got into her fighting stance, "I have to admit, fighting with you guys is a lot of fun. Let's do it again some time."

"Maybe we can. But first we need to get out of this," Taomon said. She threw several spell papers at Renee, which exploded on contact, "Thousand Spells!"

Renee stood there, injured but not showing it. She seemed to be bent on either winning or dying. Pain was no longer an issue. She pointed Mystimon's sword at her and fired several of what looked like Angewomon's arrows at Taomon, "Celestial Arrow!"

Taomon was hit and knocked to the floor. She was not out yet, but that attack had seriously injured her. Mystimon, Angewomon, and Matrimon stood together. Angewomon tried to analyze the situation, "We all need to attack at once."

Taomon got back up, "But where? I don't suppose we can just smack her around, because that doesn't seem to be working."

Renee gave them a bored look, "Hey, this is no fun. You wanna go outside or something?"

Taomon realized that they had more of a chance of surviving out there, "Yes, actually."

Renee shrugged and blasted the window open, "Let's go then."

The battle resumed outside. Energy blasts flew everywhere, leaving craters in the ground. By now, all of the Digimon in the city had started to evacuate while they could. Even with all their efforts combined, the Digimon could not beat Renee. Renee yawned, "Looks like I'm winning."

Matrimon leapt at her and kneed her in the stomach, "You let your guard down," and punched her to the ground. Because of all of that heavy equipment she was wearing, Renee left a crater where she fell.

Katsu smiled slightly, "That's my Oukamon."

Vincent laughed a bit, "Not bad."

Eri looked down at the crater, "Guys, I don't think this is a good time to celebrate!"

Renee stood in her crater, not looking too pleased, "That was a cheap shot."

"So what," Matrimon said bluntly, "You were being stupid, so I took the advantage and whooped your ass."

Renee's hands started to glow. She removed her gauntlets and replaced them with WarGreymon's Dramon Destroyers. She began to charge the energy around her into her hands, "You won't live to regret that. None of you will."

Taomon got her paintbrush ready, "Oh, great. Everyone attack now!"

They all rushed toward Renee, trying to keep close so she would not be able to fire the enormous attack at them. However, Renee had a trick up her sleeve. A beam of energy shaped like a cross appeared in front of her, "Heaven's Charm!"

The other Digimon were repelled, giving Renee the distance she needed. She hurled the giant ball of energy at them, "Gaia Force!"

The energy exploded in the middle of them. The blinding light obscured any possible sight of them. Vincent closed his hand into a fist, "Renamon…"

Renee looked up at him, "It's over now. Accept it."

Vincent let out a feral scream, drew his sword, and leapt out the window at Renee, "You're gonna pay for that!"

Renee aimed her arms at Vincent, charging energy into them again, "I think not. Time to die, Vincent."

Vincent cringed, but kept his sword held above his head, ready to strike, "Give me one last chance… to stop them…"

There was a bright light in the sky. It descended upon them quickly. As it got closer, it appeared to be a Digimon in black armor. It was not BlackWarGreymon. As the Digimon approached, its appearance became more obvious: Black armor with golden trimming, golden wings, and a large, strangely shaped black and golden sword. The Digimon hurled the sword between Renee and Vincent, blocking the energy as she fired it. Renee growled, "What!"

The Digimon swooped past and retrieved his sword, "The rest is up to you, Digi-Destined!"

Vincent called to him, "Hey, who are you?"

"I'm a Royal Knight. My name is Alphamon!"

Vincent smiled, "Thanks, Alphamon! Now, time to end this!"

He finally got close enough to Renee and swung his sword as hard as could. The sword shattered the gauntlets, which she used to block him, and cut deep into her arm. The pieces and remains of the gauntlets dispersed, and Renee snarled, "Damn you, Vincent! I'll--"

She saw a bright beam of energy come from her left, so she quickly dodged it. Vincent landed on the ground and fell to his knees. He said, with great disbelief, "Geez… I just freakin' jumped out of a building…"

Renee turned to the source of the energy blast, "Alright, who the--"

She heard it coming from behind her. She turned around and caught a slight glimpse of the same energy blast from before, and it hit her square in the face. The helmet was obliterated, along with the rest of the digital enhancements she had placed on herself. She landed with a loud thud on the ground below her, barely able to move. She whined from the pain coursing through her body, "H-How did they…"

"Simple," said a voice from behind her. It was Taomon's, "We figured you'd keep dodging our attacks, so we simply made it follow you. Angewomon and Mystimon combined their attacks with my Thousand Spells, which always follows its target. You may have been able to dodge it before, but you did not expect it this time."

Katsu called out the window, "Is Matrimon ok?"

"She's fine."

"Good…"

Renee growled, "Damn you all… You outsmarted me."

The others had made their way down with the assistance of their Digimon. They approached Renee with their weapons drawn. Sora pointed his gun at her, "Any last words?"

"Yeah… Thank you."

Vincent pushed Sora's gun to the side, "Wait. We can't just… kill her, can we?"

"Why not," Sora asked.

"She may be our enemy, but… she was deceived."

"It's what she wants."

"People say a lot of things they don't mean, Sora! This, no matter who says it, should never be meant…"

Renee closed her eyes, "I do mean it, though…"

"No you don't! Don't say things like that! Look, I'll admit, there were a lot of times in my life where I thought I wanted to die, but I never let myself just rot away. You know why? Because life is precious. Earth and the Digital World are the only places that we definitely know that life exists… Do you want to throw away that miracle and let yourself die?"

Renee opened her eyes again, a single tear rolling down her cheek, "Vincent… Can I be forgiven?"

"Of course you can. As long as they make the effort, everyone can be forgiven."

Renee shut her eyes tight and started sobbing, "Vincent… Eri… Sora… Katsu… and your Digimon friends… I'm… I'm so sorry..!"

Eri tried to keep herself from crying as well. Just the sight of Renee in such a state twisted her heart. Katsu huffed, "So, you gonna die and give me that data?"

Vincent pointed his sword at him, "She's not dying."

Renee stood and threw off her Administrator robe, tearing it instead of unzipping it. She closed her eyes for a moment and then released the data of everything she had absorbed. Katsu quickly gathered it into his Digivice, "Thanks."

Renee grunted, "You better have a good use for it… Because it'll eventually be put back into the Datastream."

Katsu shrugged and started to leave, "Whatever."

Taomon de-Digivolved and called to him, "Wait, Katsu. You're very familiar to me. Where have I seen you before?"

Katsu turned around and sighed, "Since I've already told one story today, I don't suppose another would hurt…"

"Well?"

"The Administrators hired someone to kill the original Digi-Destined and Tamers to keep them from interfering. The one who ordered their execution was Administrator Zakk, former second-in-command of the Administrators. The one who carried it out… was me."

Renamon's eyes turned feral, "_What_!"

Gatomon and Wizardmon joined her, "What..?"

"Yeah," Katsu said, "With the exception of Kari, who died of illness, I killed every one of the original Digi-Destined and Tamers, and most of their Digimon. Renamon was one of the few who got away."

Renamon snarled, "I'll kill you!"

"Renamon," Katsu said, casting his gaze down, "I… I didn't tell you this to rub it in your face, nor did I do it to make you angry."

"Nothing will stop that last one."

"I told you this so I could tell you… how much I regret doing so."

Renamon laughed sarcastically, "You _regret_ it! What makes you think I'd believe that?"

"Take it for what you will. I said what I needed to say."

Renamon got ready to attack, "You'll pay for killing them!"

Vincent took her paw in his hand, "Renamon, calm down--"

She shook her hand free and pushed him away, "Move aside! This is between me and him alone!"

"So," Katsu said, "Are you going to attack me, or will you accept my apology?"

Renamon shook her head violently, "This…"

Sora walked over to her and slapped her in the face, "Hey, snap out of it!"

"Wha…"

"Look, we forgave Renee, right? Can't you forgive him?"

Renamon growled, but relaxed and let her head hang down, "I… see your point. You're right. For me to not forgive him would be… hypocritical."

"Exactly."

Vincent breathed a sigh of relief, "Ok… Let's go back, shall we?"

They all walked back toward the lab. Vincent's Digivice started to beep, and he picked it up, "Yeah?"

Datamon's voice could be heard, "I see you've all defeated Renee. Congratulations on a job well done! However, there is a problem with the teleporter at the lab, so I am sending you the coordinates of a still-working one. It's a bit out of the way, but not too far."

"Alright. Thanks, Datamon."

"Of course. See you all later."

Vincent brought up the map and checked the location of the teleporter, "Man… Right by the Digital World's equivalent to the Grand Canyon."

Renee walked over and looked, rubbing the tears out of her eyes, "That's Crater Forest. Supposedly, a large celestial object hit there a long time ago, and since then trees and such have grown there."

"I see. Well, no time like the present. Let's go."

They started to walk, and Renee spoke up again, "Oh, um… There's something I have to tell you guys."

"What?"

Renee sighed, "I'm… not the last Administrator."

Katsu turned to her, his curiosity probed, "Really now?"

"Yeah… There's one more. The master of the Administrators."

Oukamon nodded, "I know."

"Oukamon," Katsu said, "You knew the whole time?"

"Yeah. I know, because he created me."

"What?"

"The one who you undoubtedly call Deus, Renee, is my creator. He was a Tamer once, but his desire for power made him make me. When I didn't Digivolve for him, he cast me out. Then I found Katsu."

"So what's this guy's name?"

Oukamon sighed and said, "Izumi Koushiro. However, the other Digi-Destined knew him as… Izzy."


	19. Stuck in Crater Forest

-1Stuck in Crater Forest

Gatomon and Wizardmon both turned to Oukamon. Gatomon was in shock, "I-I-Izzy..? As in… Izzy, whose partner was Tentomon?"

"Yes," Oukamon said, "He still keeps Tentomon around. At least, he did while I was with him. He had him as more of a guard than anything."

"That can't be true… Izzy was a kind person. He could never do something like this!"

"I know this is hard for you to grasp, but I assure you that it is him. He never told me his reasoning behind what he was doing. He always just said to keep my mouth shut."

"Izzy… Did he have the others killed?"

"Probably. Even if Zakk was the one who relayed the order to Katsu, but Deus has always been the leader of the Administrators. No matter what he was in the past, Izzy is now an evil man with evil ambitions."

Gatomon shut her eyes tightly, "Izzy… Why would you do something like that?"

Wizardmon shook his head, "We should get back."

"Yeah, let's go," Sora said.

Katsu shrugged and started to walk away. His Digivice beeped and he looked at Renee, "Hey, you didn't give me all of your data!"

Renee scowled at him, "I dunno what you're gonna do with it, but I bet it's bad."

"I'm gonna follow you until you give it to me."

"Fine by me."

Vincent sighed and whispered to Renamon, "We'll just turn off the teleporter before he can get in."

They arrived at the teleporter near Crater Forest. It stood out in the open, close to the edge. Vincent shivered as they approached, "Man I hate heights…"

Sora laughed, "Better not piss your pants."

"Shut up, spider boy!"

Sora growled, "Go to hell!"

Eri hit both of their heads together, "Ok, _children_, let's go."

Katsu's eye twitched from aggravation, "Renee, give me your goddamn data!"

Renee stuck her tongue at him and pulled her eyelid down, "How about this: You _take_ it!"

"Fine by me--!"

Vincent held his arm out as Katsu lunged, "I won't have anyone killing each other here…"

"God dammit, let me go!"

Renee giggled, "Nyah, nyah, can't get me!"

"Little bitch!"

Vincent sighed, "Someone restrain him or something…"

"Let's just go," Renamon said.

Vincent shrugged, "Ok, fine."

A large black shadow was cast over them. Vincent looked up to see BlackWarGreymon floating over them with a very large Terra Destroyer already in his hands, "Oh sweet gods, let's go, quick!"

BlackWarGreymon laughed sinisterly, "You fools! Do you think I didn't disable that thing before you got here?"

Gatomon looked at the severed cords of the teleporter, "Oh no!"

He laughed again and hurled his attack at them, "Die, Digi-Destined!"

Katsu watched the energy ball descend on them, "I guess he doesn't care that I'm here…"

Oukamon tackled him to the ground and covered him with her body, "Idiot, don't just _stand_ there!"

"Won't _you_ die now!"

Oukamon Digivolved to Lupimon, but did not have enough energy to go further, "I'll survive! Just keep your head down!"

The energy ball hit the ground around them, exploding and sending them flying down into Crater Forest…

It must have been at least an hour later when Vincent finally regained consciousness. He could tell by the faint image of the sun in the sky through the trees. He held his head, "Ugh, Renamon, you ok?"

There was no answer. He looked around, not seeing his partner, "Renamon? Renamon!"

He was answered with a strange hissing sound. He turned in the direction he had heard it from and saw a rather large Dokugumon approaching him. He tried to stand, but found that he was stuck in place. Upon examining his predicament, he realized that he was stuck in a web. His face went pale, "Gimmie a break!"

The Dokugumon laughed, "A human! Excellent! I was getting hungry…"

"Ooooooh shit, I gotta get out of here!"

He saw someone jump out of the woods and attack the spider Digimon, "Wind Kick!"

The Dokugumon growled, "Who the--"

The other Digimon kicked the Dokugumon off of the web, making it land on its back. When he finally got a good look at his savior, he realized that it was Lupimon. He sighed with relief, "A familiar face… Thank the gods…"

Lupimon jumped down and landed on the Dokugumon, kicking off of its soft underbelly with her clawed feet. Her claws punctured its body, killing it. She jumped back up and landed on the web and, for some reason, did not get stuck. She slashed the web apart with her claws, making Vincent fall to the ground below. He hit his head on a rock and grunted, "OW! I appreciate you saving me and all, but damn…"

Lupimon held out her hand, "We should get moving."

Vincent took it and stood, "Yeah, but… moving _where_?"

"Anywhere but here," Lupimon said, pointing to the big white egg sack in the Dokugumon's web. The egg sack was pulsing, like something was trying to break free.

Vincent went pale, "Yeah…"

Lupimon threw him over his shoulder and started to run. They ran for a good fifteen minutes before she stopped to rest. She let Vincent off of her back and sat against a tree, "This should be far enough."

"You sure we had to run this far?"

"Fresh Dokugumon hatchlings like to make some distance between their mothers and siblings. That way, there's less competition."

"I see… Well, thanks for saving me."

"I wouldn't be able to face the others if I didn't. I don't dislike you guys, I just have to fight you."

"Any particular reason why?"

Lupimon shook her head, "I can't tell you. Believe me, I wish I could tell a lot of people, but I can't."

"I see," Vincent said. He laughed, "I bet you dislike Eri, though."

Lupimon grunted, "Don't remind me… Her knowledge of humanoid anatomies scares me."

"You and me both."

Lupimon smiled a bit, but immediately returned to seriousness, "What's your Digivice say?"

Vincent took it out of his pocket and turned on the map function. The screen showed what they had seen before-- Just a crater full of trees, "I can't see much with the map."

"Use the radar."

"Radar?"

"You've had this thing for how long, and you don't even know what it's capable of?"

"Well, I…"

"Just press this button," Lupimon said, pointing.  
Vincent did so, and the Digivice entered radar mode. The screen flickered and warped, "I think there's a problem."

"Let me see," Lupimon said. She slid over to him and looked, "Interference… Normally you'd be able to track any other Digivice with this function, but something is jamming our signal."

"Maybe because we're in a crater. Or maybe because of the density of this forest."

"Probably. Well, that just means we need to find higher ground."

Eri groaned and opened her eyes, squinting from the sunlight, "Ow… I'm… alive? Wizardmon? Hey, you ok, Wizardmon?"

She turned to her left and saw not Wizardmon, but Gatomon. The cat Digimon sat up and rubbed a sore spot on her head, "I think that wiped out eight of my nine lives…"

"Hey, you ok?"

"Huh? Hey, you're not Sora…"

"No, really..?"

"Uh oh… Are Sora or Wizardmon here?"

"Doesn't look like it…"

Gatomon sighed, "How clichéd…"

"Tell me about it. Doesn't matter now, though. We should get out of here."

"Where exactly is 'here'?"

Eri sighed, "Dammit, I don't know… We fell in the crater, didn't we?"

"I bet. We should find a way out of here."

Eri cracked her back and stood. She started to say something, but was interrupted by a loud growling sound, "Um… Gatomon, you didn't suddenly turn into a lion, did you?"

"Noooooooo," Gatomon said, equally nervous.

They both turned around to see a huge red beetle with black markings on its face, large red pincers, and big clear wings. Gatomon stood ready to fight, "Kuwagamon!"

Eri scanned it with her Digivice, "Hey, this is a Champion… You can beat it, right?"

Gatomon relaxed a bit, "Are you kidding? A blind one-armed Apemon with a rusty knife could beat a Kuwagamon."

Eri raised an eyebrow, "It sure is big for a pushover."

Gatomon jumped at the Kuwagamon and punched it square in the face, "Lightning Claw!"

The Kuwagamon fell back, but stood again and rammed into the ground in front of Gatomon, knocking her off her feet. It pulled its head out of the ground and slashed its pincers across Gatomon, "Power Guillotine!"

Gatomon cringed, but stood again and attacked. She hit the Kuwagamon again, this time breaking through its head. The insect Digimon separated into data particles, and Gatomon relaxed, "We never catch a break, huh…"

"No, we really don't," Eri said with a sigh. She picked Gatomon up and put her on her shoulder, "Well, let's get going. Maybe we can find the others, and we can all get out of here."

Sora had not been as lucky as the others. He was not facing one Digimon-- He was surrounded by a group of not-so-happy looking Gizamon. The one in front of him snarled, speaking in broken English, "Human trespass in territory. We make human pay!"

Sora loaded his shotgun, "Maybe if I give them a grammar lesson they'll ease up…"

The entire group leapt at him, spinning into their Spiral Edge attack and hitting him from all sides. Sora growled and fired a few shots, killing some of them. The Gizamon started to attack again when a large blue beam of energy tore through them. Wizardmon jumped out in front of Sora, "You ok?"

"Not too bad. Yourself?"

"Doing fine," Wizardmon said, channeling more energy into his staff. He blasted a few more of the Gizamon. The other Gizamon, frightened by their new opponent, fled.

Sora sighed, "Thanks. Say, where's Eri?"

Wizardmon gave him a worried look, "Where's Gatomon?"

They were both silent for a moment, and then both of them sighed. Sora reloaded his gun and put it away, "Well, I guess we're gonna have to go look for them."

Renamon slowly opened her eyes and took a quick glance around, "Vin…cent…"

"Not here," a voice said.

"Huh," Renamon sat up and saw that the voice belonged to Katsu, "Oh… You."

"What?"

"I had hoped it'd be Vincent who I got stuck with."

"Sorry to disappoint," Katsu said sarcastically.

Renamon sighed and shook her head. She stood and started to walk into the woods, "I'm going to go and look for him."

Katsu followed, checking his Digivice, "I'm getting interference… The high walls of the crater and the trees are getting to the radar. We need to get higher up."

"Why not just climb a tree?"

"That won't work. We need to be at least above these trees, not just level with them. That, and higher ground would mean less walls."

"You've got a point… Alright, to higher ground, then."

Katsu followed her. His curiosity had gotten the better of him, "What exactly is between you two?"

"What?"

"You and Vincent. You seem to be more than Digimon and human partners."

Renamon blushed and made sure he couldn't see her face, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Katsu sighed, "If you don't want to answer, that's fine by me."

"Good. No more hard feelings between us, then."

"No 'more'?"

"I forgive you for what you did to Rika and the other Digi-Destined and Tamers, but… I still feel a bit bitter. I apologize in advance for any irrational behavior."

"Wouldn't bother me if you didn't apologize, but sure."

"I see…"

Katsu kept checking around, making sure they did not have any unwanted pursuers. He looked up at what little sky peeked through the trees, "I sure hope BlackWarGreymon's given up the chase."

Renee sat cowering in a tree, trying to convince her pursuer to leave. The Digimon that was attacking her looked like a boar with red and black tusks and flames making up its body. This Digimon, Boarmon (kind of a disappointing name, huh), was ramming the tree, trying to knock her out. The only reason it had not roasted her alive yet was because she had managed to splash a good amount of water onto it when it started chasing her. She screamed as the tree shook, "No, leave me alone you ugly pig!"

The Boarmon, obviously lacking the ability to speak, charged the tree again. The tree splintered and began to lean. Renee shrieked and held on for dear life, "Shit! I don't wanna die!"

The Boarmon charged again, and the tree started to fall. Renee shut her eyes tightly and screamed. Then, out of nowhere, she felt someone grab her, and suddenly felt the wind rushing against her. She slowly opened her eyes and saw a large orange and clawed gauntlet holding onto her. She looked up to see a silver mask that showed two blue eyes watching the sky in front of them. She realized who it was and spoke slowly, partially because of her near-death experience, and partially because of her sheer and utter amazement, "W-War…Greymon!"

The metal dinosaur Digimon let out a slight chuckle, "You won't try to absorb me again, will you?"

Renee turned away in embarrassment, "I've changed my ways…"

"That's good to hear. Hold on-- I'll take you somewhere safe," WarGreymon accelerated and headed toward what appeared to be a large rock formation in the center of the crater.

He landed in a cave at the top of the rocks and put Renee down. Renee looked around and then looked outside, "Wow… This crater is pretty huge. It must have taken quite an impact to make a crater like this."

"Supposedly, yes," WarGreymon said. He walked into the back of the cave and sat, "You'll be safe here."

"I have other friends trapped down below."

"I am aware. We will find them in due time. For now I am waiting for someone."

"I see," Renee said. She looked over WarGreymon's armor, noticing that it was different than most WarGreymon she had seen. He had silver blades on his Dramon Destroyers that started near the back of his arms, instead of coming out near the hand area. The horn on his mask was blue, along with his chest armor and leg armor, "Are you… an X-Digimon?"

"Yes. One of the very few left in the Digital World. The only other one that I know personally is MetalGarurumon. He's who I'm waiting for."

As if on cue, the massive metal wolf Digimon landed at the mouth of the cave. He had blue armor, a wolf-like head, and several armaments, which included a chain gun on his left arm, a laser cannon above his right hand (so he was not completely unable to pick things up), another laser cannon mounted on his back, and a rocket pack on his shoulder. MetalGarurumon walked into the cave and glanced at Renee, "Seeing as you haven't been vaporized, you must have been brought here."

Renee looked a bit nervous, "Um… WarGreymon brought me here."

"You brought an Administrator here?"

WarGreymon turned to his friend, "She is not an Administrator, as of today, I believe."

Renee smiled, "Yep!"

MetalGarurumon nodded, "I see. So, what did you summon me for?"

WarGreymon stood and walked over to the mouth of the cave. He turned back to MetalGarurumon, "BlackWarGreymon is out for blood."

"Whose?"

"This girl and her friends, apparently. I overheard him talking to himself earlier… Something about 'those rotten kids got away'. Seeing as they are the only people that most would refer to as 'kids' in this area, I assume it is Renee's friends."

Renee nodded, "Yeah. He tried to kill us before, and that's how we got knocked into the crater in the first place."

"I see… Well, I would offer to find your friends for you, but we must take care of BlackWarGreymon first. I will not risk the lives of myself, MetalGarurumon, or your friends by ignoring him."

MetalGarurumon joined WarGreymon, "So you will fight him alone?"

"Yes. We are destined to fight, he and I," he turned to Renee, "Just like they are destined to save our world from corruption and destruction."

Renee tilted her head to the side, "Wha?"

She felt something nudge her in the side. She turned and looked to see a small white Digimon with two long, thin ears, black eyes, four stubby legs, and small fangs that almost did not look threatening. The Digimon poked at her with its nose and looked up at her. Renee's eyes brightened, "Aww, how cute!"

WarGreymon laughed, "That's Tokomon. He's an In-training level Digimon. I found him a little while ago, all alone."

Renee picked up and cuddled Tokomon, "Aww, poor little guy… It's a good thing you found him then."

WarGreymon nodded and started to walk out of the cave, "MetalGarurumon, please watch over them."

"I assume you will not accept my assistance, so I will say 'Good luck' to you," MetalGarurumon said.

"Thank you," WarGreymon said, leaping into the air and activating his thrusters.

Renee sat, petting Tokomon's head, "Is he gonna be ok?"

MetalGarurumon nodded, "He is a superb fighter. And if I know him as well as I hope, he will win."


	20. Eyes Turned Upward

Eyes Turned Upward

"Hey," Katsu called to Renamon, "Look over there."

Renamon looked at where he was pointing. There was a large upward slope that led to what looked like a high hill, "Better than nothing, I suppose."

"We might be able to get reception from there. Then maybe we can find the others, and I can get that stupid girl's data," Katsu growled, "This wouldn't have happened if she hadn't stalled!"

"Oh, it would have happened anyway."

"Whatever…"

Renamon got ready to run to the hill, "You gonna be able to catch up?"

"I think so."

They both ran to the top of the hill. It was not quite as high as it had originally seemed, but it was higher than the rest of the forest. Renamon pondered for a moment, "How is this hill on a higher level than the rest of the crater? If something hit here, it would have flattened the entire area, right?"

Katsu picked up his Digivice and started to check the radar, "Not necessarily. The object was probably smaller than the crater. The impact just made the crater bigger."

"That's right. So, why do you think this land was spared?"

"Hell if I know," he pointed his Digivice all around, but only got a slightly better signal, "Better than nothing, but I still can't find anyone."

"Great," Renamon sighed. She looked up to see that the sky was getting darker, "It's getting late."

"We should rest here. We'll do ourselves no good by exhausting ourselves."

Renamon sat on the grass and hugged her knees to her head, "Vincent…"

"He'll be fine. He's strong enough to take care of himself."

"I know, but…"

Katsu let out an annoyed sigh, "You try to help them, but they keep _going_ and _going_…"

"Easy for you to say… You don't care about anyone."

"You don't think I'm worried about Lupimon? I know how you feel, but getting worked up over it won't help you any."

Renamon sighed, "You're right… I can't be like this. I'm stronger than that."

Katsu shrugged and thought, "Whatever keeps you going."

"Alright, I'll get some wood to get us a fire going," Renamon said, standing and walking down the hill.

"Heh. To think that _I_ can actually motivate people… Who'd have thought?"

"Alright," Sora shouted up to Wizardmon, "Hold it there! I'm getting something!"

Wizardmon held his staff as high as he could as he floated above the trees. Several lengths of wire were entwined around it and connected to Sora's Digivice. Wizardmon shouted back down to him, "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Any piece of metal can be an antenna, and any length of wire can connect it to something like a radar. So, therefore, something as large as your staff should give us much better reception."

"I guess being in the military has its advantages."

"Don't you know it," Sora said. He saw several blips on his radar, one of them not too far from their location, "Hey, I see something! Northwest of us! Come on down!"

Wizardmon flew down and floated next to him, "Alright. At least we're getting somewhere."

They reached the location of the radar beacon and saw Eri and Gatomon laying there. It looked like they were sleeping. Sora breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank god they're ok…"

Wizardmon quickly floated over to Eri and checked on her, "She's fine."

Sora checked Gatomon and had the same result. He sat and leaned his head back, relaxing a bit, "Now all that leaves is Vincent, Lupimon, Renamon, Katsu, and Renee. Five people… Not a small number when you're searching."

There was silence.

"We'll find them, though, eh Wizardmon? Hmm? Hey, you ok?"

When Sora looked over, he saw that Wizardmon was asleep. He smiled and turned back to the sky, "Poor guy… Must have been worried sick, keeping himself awake no matter how exhausted he was…"

Vincent and Lupimon had taken shelter on a large tree branch for the night. Not that he could get any sleep, though. He was way too worried about the others. Renamon in particular. He sighed and looked up at the moon, "Renamon… You're still alive out here somewhere, right? I'm gonna be able to see you again… right?"

Lupimon grunted, half asleep, "Keep it down, would ya? You're gonna see your seven foot girlfriend again."

Vincent's face went beat red, "_Girlfriend_?! Excuse me, but she's my partner! A-And not _that_ kind of partner! The Digimon kind of partner, you know--"

"I _know_! Geez, you're getting so defensive about it, I'm starting to wonder if it's true."

Vincent's face seemed to scrunch together, "_Fuck… You._"

Lupimon snickered, "Ooooh, so it _is_ true. Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, _ooh_! How delicious dirt can be at times…"

"Shut your goddamn mouth, mutt! It's not true! I don't see Renamon like that."

Lupimon shrugged, "What about her feelings, though? What do you think about that?"

"I… don't know."

"She's awful clingy," Lupimon said in a sing-song voice.

"She's _affectionate_. _Motherly_."

"That's why she tried to kiss you, what, twice?"

Vincent turned away and snarled, "Shut your goddamn mother fucking ass mouth!"

"You've got quite a mouth on you for such a little boy. You kiss your mother with that mouth? Or just Renamon?"

Vincent went cold, "My mother's dead."

Lupimon was silent for a moment. She had not wanted to strike a nerve. She gave him a sympathetic look, "Sorry…"

"Don't be."

"Why?"

"You didn't know. It's alright."

"You… sure?"

"And I do _not_ kiss Renamon," Vincent said, immediately flaring back up.

Lupimon frowned and thought to herself, "He's hiding his sadness with anger…"

Vincent seemed to notice her thought and turned back to her, "Eh? What's up with you?"

"It's only been a week since your mother died… I'm sorry."

"Nah. That was my adoptive mother."

"Oh. So your blood parents…"

Vincent shrugged, "Died a while ago. I loved them, and they loved me. But they were killed… I think the Administrators did it, honestly. They must have somehow knew my eligibility to become a Tamer, so they tried to kill me."

"I see… Sorry."

"I said don't worry, didn't I? I've gotten over it. Sorry I gave you the cold shoulder back there."

Lupimon leaned against the tree and rested her hands on the back of her head, "Don't worry about it."

Vincent sat silently for a while. His mind was filled with worry for everyone. It always boiled down to Renamon. Where was she? Was she hurt? Was she with any of the others? Was she sitting around, waiting for the morning? Or was she running, searching, still going and looking for him? The thought of her exerting herself to the point of exhaustion while he sat up in that tree made him feel sick. He could not stand waiting. He stood and poked Lupimon's shoulder, "I'm going to find Renamon."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am!"

Lupimon grabbed him and tried to force him to sit again, "You don't know what's out there. _I_ don't know what's out there."

"I don't care! I'm going!"

Lupimon sighed and pulled him into her arms, holding him tightly, "You leave me no choice."

Vincent's face turned red, "I hope you realize… my face is in your chest."

"And?"

Vincent started to swing his arms around violently, "_And_?! Is that all you have to say?! You're pressing my face into a very private area and all you have to say is 'and'?!"

"Pretty much."

"Well what else?!"

"Mostly along the lines of 'ha-ha'!"

"You bitch!"

"Oh just calm down. Geez. You're acting like you've never had a woman's chest in your face before."

"For your _information_, I haven't!"

Lupimon shrugged, "Ya have now."

"I can't believe this…"

"Are you gay?"

"WHAT?!"

"Are. You. Gay? It's not a hard question."

"NO!"

"Then why are you making such a big fuss?"

"Because I'm _proper_!"

"You're a prude," Lupimon sighed, "You're definitely her type."

"Again with that," Vincent growled. He stopped struggling and turned his head away from her chest, "Fine, I'll stay here… Just _please_ don't put my face there."

"Ok," Lupimon said, letting him adjust himself, "But I'm holding onto you for the night. For one, I don't want you running off when I fall asleep. And for another, I don't want anything grabbing you."

"Fine," Vincent said, closing his eyes. He figured he'd have to get some sleep so he could keep looking in the morning. However, as soon as he drifted off, a bright light shined and a loud crash filled the air. Vincent's eyes shot back open and he shouted, "What the hell?!"

Lupimon watched two Digimon clashing in the sky above the forest, "Looks like BlackWarGreymon found someone to fight."


	21. Reunion

AUTHOR NOTE: Sorry for the delay in updates. Fanfiction was being a pain, giving me errors XX... Anyway, here's the next chapter ! 

Reunion

The night sky was lit ablaze when WarGreymon and BlackWarGreymon clashed and unleashed their attacks. The light was blinding in the darkness that was the night in Crater Forest. All of the Digimon in the forest were panicking and running for cover. MetalGarurumon watched from the cave atop the rock formation, "I guess he found him. This should be interesting. It's a real clash of the titans."

Renee watched as well, a concerned look on her face, "I sure hope he'll be ok… And I hope none of their attacks hit any of my friends."

"WarGreymon is careful. He won't present any of the inhabitants of the forest with any danger, nor will he allow BlackWarGreymon to do so."

WarGreymon and his dark counterpart clashed and clashed, ramming into each other and slashing with their Dramon destroyers, making sparks fly into the night. WarGreymon called to him, "You know, this isn't the way to settle things. We can do this civilly."

BlackWarGreymon laughed mockingly, "Civilly? I think not!"

"Would you allow yourself to become the monster you were created to be?"

"What?!"

"I have memories… vague ones. Memories of fighting you before. Memories of you turning from a monster with no purpose but to destroy all in your path, into the savior of humanity. I know not where these memories came from, but I do know they are true! You were created out of the once cursed Digimon Emperor's Control Spires, but you still found a way to open your heart and help someone!"

BlackWarGreymon growled and charged energy into his hands, "Shut up! War Blaster!"

WarGreymon dodged the green energy projectiles and started to spin around rapidly. His speed increased dramatically, blurring out his image and causing a great wind to blow. He hurled himself at BlackWarGreymon, "Great Tornado!"

BlackWarGreymon held out his Dramon destroyers out to block him, and was pushed back by the attack. He snarled and started to gather energy in his hands. When he had gathered enough, he fired it into WarGreymon, sending him flying toward the side of the crater. He gathered more energy and hurled it at him, "Terra Destroyer!"

WarGreymon stood himself up and saw a large lake not too far from him. He concentrated, pulling energy from the water and gathering it into his hands. He quickly threw it at the oncoming attack, "Poseidon Force!"

The two energy balls collided. The energies that they were composed of twisted around each other, resulting in a large explosion. Water rained down from the sky, and in the middle of it WarGreymon and BlackWarGreymon clashed again, their Dramon destroyers locked and sparks flying everywhere. BlackWarGreymon let out a feral snarl, "You will die today!"

"Why are you doing this anyway," WarGreymon asked through grit teeth, "What would you gain out of killing those children?!"

"Revenge for the embarrassment they have brought upon me!"

"Only you can be responsible for your own failure," WarGreymon pushed him back and tackled him into the side of the crater. He went to deliver a death-blow with his Dramon destroyer, but BlackWarGreymon blocked and countered with his own. WarGreymon blocked as well, once again bring them into a deadlock. WarGreymon growled, "You lost to them because you're fighting for the wrong cause, and you _know_ it!"

BlackWarGreymon gasped, but he did not let his realization get to him. He pushed it to the back of his mind and kicked WarGreymon away, "I know what cause is right for me!"

He swooped after WarGreymon and pounded him into the ground. WarGreymon grunted and held back his foe's weapons as best as he could. They both tore through trees and rocks as the battle went on. BlackWarGreymon had him pinned. He drew his arm back and laughed, "Die!"

Up in the cave, Renee and MetalGarurumon watched, though they could not see exactly what was happening. However, Tokomon was starting to act strangely. He started whining and watching the fight intently. Renee turned to him with a concerned look, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Tokomon shut his eyes tightly and became enveloped in a bright light. His body started to reshape itself. He was Digivolving. MetalGarurumon took his eyes off of the battle for a moment, "What is this..?"

The light vanished, and where Tokomon once was, now stood Patamon: A small four legged Digimon with an orange upper body and an orange lower, and two wing-like ears that protruded from his head. Renee gasped, "He… Digivolved?"

Patamon quickly leapt into the air and flew out of the cave, "WarGreymon!"

Renee shouted, "Hey, it's dangerous! Don't go!"

MetalGarurumon put his hand on her shoulder, "You can still absorb data, correct?"

"Huh? I don't know… I could only do a little bit before I became an Administrator."

"Copy my thrusters and follow him."

"Can't you go?"

"I said I would not interfere. I gave him my word."

"Alright," Renee said, putting her hand on MetalGarurumon's thrusters and concentrating. The data started to copy itself into Renee's digital body. The copy completed, and Renee materialized the thrusters on her back, "Ok, thanks!"

"No problem. Now, go get him," MetalGarurumon said, pointing out of the cave.

Renee did not need any convincing. She jumped out and followed Patamon, turning on the thrusters and flying toward him, "Hey, wait up!"

"This will determine if she's ready," MetalGarurumon said, watching her go. He opened a compartment in his arm and took out a Digivice, "Fate has brought them together. Now she must tie the knot to keep it that way."

Patamon and Renee flew toward the battle site. WarGreymon was barely holding BlackWarGreymon's fist at bay. The blades on the dark Digimon's Dramon destroyers were dangerously close to his face. Patamon went up behind BlackWarGreymon and sucked in a full breath of air. He then released it violently in the form of a projectile attack, "Boom Bubble!"

BlackWarGreymon barely even felt it, but it still annoyed him. He turned around and batted the tiny Digimon away, "Pest!"

Renee intercepted and caught Patamon, "Hey, are you ok?"

Patamon shook his head quickly and regained his balance, "I'm fine… But we have to do something!"

"Yeah, but… what?"

WarGreymon spotted them and called to them, "Renee… Patamon… Go! Get out of here! He'll kill you both when he's done with me..!"

Renee shook her head briskly, "No! We'll save you, WarGreymon! Just like you saved me, and Patamon! I have to repent for the terrible things I've done… We'll save you!"

BlackWarGreymon laughed and pressed his huge reptilian foot on WarGreymon, pinning him. He turned to Renee and Patamon, "Do you honestly think so? Maybe I'll destroy you two first, just so he can suffer more!"

Patamon freed himself from Renee's arms and sucked in more air, firing it at BlackWarGreymon, "Boom Bubble!"

Renee went to grab him again, "Stop! You're gonna get yourself killed that way!"

BlackWarGreymon held out his arms and fired his War Blaster at them. One of the projectiles hit Patamon, sending him flying backward. Renee caught him and dodged the others. However, one of them was coming right at her. She turned around, letting the thrusters on her back take the shot. The thrusters exploded, sending her plummeting toward the ground. She held Patamon close and shut her eyes tight, "Don't worry, Patamon… I'll keep you safe, if it costs me my life!"

Patamon looked up at her, "Why though? We barely know each other…"

"Because, I've done many horrible things to this world… At least if I die protecting you, I'll have repented for one of my sins!"

A bright light came from the cave, flying down toward Renee. It formed into a ball of light and forced its way into Renee's hand, taking the form of a Digivice. Renee gaped at it for a moment, "Wha..?"

Patamon started to shine along with the Digivice, "Hold on tight!"

BlackWarGreymon watched their descent, "What is…"

Patamon's body started to reshape itself into a more humanoid shape. Six white feathered wings appeared on his back, and a metal face guard appeared on his head. The light disappeared, revealing Patamon's new form: "Patamon Digivolves to… Angemon!"

Angemon spread his wings, catching the wind and stopping their fall. He held onto Renee and faced BlackWarGreymon, "Alright. I'll distract him. You copy my wings and get out of here."

"No," Renee said, "I won't leave you. I'll copy your wings, sure, but only so we can fight together!"

Angemon thought for a moment, and then said, "Alright. Just make sure you're careful."

Renee copied the wings and materialized them, taking position next to Angemon, "Alright… Now, let's take him down!"

BlackWarGreymon laughed mockingly, "You think you can defeat me? A Champion level goody-good and a human brat? You're dumber than I thought!"

Angemon drew his fist back, gathering light energy into it, "I don't care what level I am. I will not allow you to kill WarGreymon!"

BlackWarGreymon turned his attention toward Renee, "And you? What do you expect to do? You don't even have a weapon."

Renee grinned, "Then I'll just take yours."

"I'll distract him. You go in and get yourself a weapon," Angemon instructed. He thrust his hand outward, releasing the energy he was building in it, "Hand of Fate!"

BlackWarGreymon simply let the attack hit him. It put a scratch on his armor, but that was all. He watched Renee swoop in and batted her to the side, "Pathetic!"

WarGreymon took the opportunity to his advantage. He grabbed BlackWarGreymon's leg and pulled it, knocking him on his side. He activated his thrusters, flew up about fifty feet, and then gathered all of the energy he could muster, hurling it at BlackWarGreymon in a massive Gaia Force. Before the energy ball hit, WarGreymon grabbed onto Renee and Angemon and flew a safe distance away. Then the explosion came. It was massive, destroying anything that was unlucky enough to be caught within it. When the smoke finally cleared, BlackWarGreymon was gone. Renee surveyed the site, "Do you think…"

"Probably," WarGreymon said. He let her and Angemon go, "If he had survived, he'd still be here. As fast as he is, I would have noticed him."

Angemon nodded, "Indeed. I think he was destroyed this time."

MetalGarurumon joined them, "Let us hope. Oh, and congratulations, Renee."

"For what," Renee asked.

"For taking your first step toward repenting for your actions against the Digital World, and for gaining a partner."

"Partner..? You mean," she looked at Angemon, "Him?"

"Yes. Your Digivice allowed Patamon to Digivolve, so therefore he is your partner."

Angemon smiled, "Then I am glad to be your partner, Renee. I will go where you lead."

Renee was shocked beyond belief. How could someone who had been so cruel be worthy of a Digimon partner? She shook her head, "No…"

"What?"

"Don't follow where I lead… Walk with me instead," Renee said, smiling.

Angemon nodded, "I will."

WarGreymon started to rise into the air, "Now, weren't there some friends of yours stuck in the forest?"

"Oh! That's right," Renee said, "Can we look for them?"

"Of course we can. After all, you two undoubtedly saved my life."

Wizardmon awoke with what felt like something wrapped around his waist. His first instinct was to free himself, however he realized that what was trapping him was simply Eri's arms. He heard her say, "Morning, sleepy head… You don't know how much I missed you."

Wizardmon smiled, "The feeling is mutual. I was so worried about you."

"Aww, you were?"

"Yes."

Eri hugged him and nuzzled the side of his face, "Oh, Wizardmon, I love you!"

Gatomon had already woken up and was clung onto Sora like he was her only lifeline, "I swear, I worried my lives away while you were gone, Sora…"

"And my fingers cramped trying to adjust that radar to find you," Sora joked, holding onto her tightly.

"I got to beat up a Kuwagamon!"

"I shot a Gizamon!"

"Awesome!"

"Awesome awesome!"

Eri and Sora's Digivices beeped, and the radar showed that there was another Digivice approaching them quickly. Wizardmon heard something up above them, so he floated up for a better look. He saw WarGreymon and waved, "Hey! Over here!"

WarGreymon stopped and landed near them, "Hello there everyone. Are you, perchance, friends of this girl?"

Renee hopped off of WarGreymon with Patamon in her arms, "Sora! Eri! Thank god you're all ok!"

Sora smiled, "Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes!"

Eri shared his relief, "Yeah, really… We didn't know what happened to you."

Gatomon looked up at WarGreymon and squinted, "Hey… The data's a bit different, but you're… the same WarGreymon I fought alongside of. Right?"

WarGreymon studied her carefully, "I don't know… I have faint memories. You are familiar, I'll say that much."

"Well, it's good to see you're alive."

MetalGarurumon landed next to him, "To answer your question, yes, he is the same. As am I."

"MetalGarurumon… But you look so different. Both of you do."

"This is the effect of the X-Antibody. It is the remnant of the Digital World's defense against an old threat, before the Digital World's new main program was instated."

Patamon watched Gatomon for a few moments, "You look familiar to me, too…"

Sora scratched the back of his head, "Everyone knows each other…"

Gatomon turned to Patamon, "You're the same, too… Wow, there were more people brought back than I thought."

WarGreymon laughed, "It is the will of the Digital World that we are all reunited like this, I guess. Now, let us go and find the rest of your friends."

"Come on, let's go already! We're not going to find Renamon or Katsu if you don't _wake up_," Vincent complained. He started poking at Lupimon, who was sleeping soundly. Vincent growled and crossed his arms, "UP! Wake the _fuck_ up! God dammit!"

Lupimon yawned and stretched her arms in the air. She opened one eye and rubbed the other, "You know, you're obnoxiously loud…"

"And you're lazy as hell."

"I was up all night protecting you."

"I was up all night worrying about whether BlackWarGreymon was dead or not."

"Fair enough," Lupimon said, sitting up and jumping down from the tree, "Let's go then."

Vincent followed and started to walk ahead, "Let's go to that clearing they made. Maybe we'll get a signal there."

They made their way to the large crater WarGreymon had made, and Vincent's heart skipped a beat when he saw the huge imprint in the ground, "Lupimon…"

"Eh?"

"Do any huge Digimon have BlackWarGreymon-shaped feet, or is that all that's left of him?"

All that remained where BlackWarGreymon fell was the large crater bent in his shape. Lupimon looked at the imprint and blinked a few times, "Oh yeah… He's dead. Not even dust left."

"WarGreymon's powerful… I wouldn't like to be on the other side of that."

Vincent's Digivice started to beep, and Lupimon's ears perked up, "Radar working?"

Vincent checked it and saw that there were three Digivices closing in on them, "Wow… Looks like they've found us."

As if on cue, WarGreymon landed in front of them, letting his passengers off. Eri tackle-hugged Vincent, knocking him to the ground, "Vincent, you're safe!"

Vincent groaned as his back cracked, "Ow… Glad to see you, too…"

Renee went over to him, too, "Vincent… You ok?"

"I _was_."

Eri got up and snickered, "Estrogen wins again!"

"Estrogen makes you a pansy."

"Too much testosterone makes you a meat sack."

WarGreymon sighed, "Alright, enough about hormones, please."

Vincent looked back and forth, "Renamon?"

"No luck yet," Sora said, "We'll find her. Don't worry."

Renamon stood on the top of a tree, calling down to Katsu, "I see a big crater. It's where WarGreymon and BlackWarGreymon fought. I see something out there…"

"Probably WarGreymon," Katsu said. He started to walk toward the crater, "Better than nothing. Let's go."

Renamon jumped from tree to tree, not bothering to go back to the ground. All that mattered to her right now was finding Vincent. They finally reached the site where the battle had taken place. Renamon spotted Vincent and immediately called out his name and running to him. Vincent heard her and turned around just in time to be whisked up into her arms and pulled into a tight embrace. Lupimon leapt at Katsu and tackled him to the ground, "Katsuuuuuuuuuuu! I missed you so much!"

Katsu put his arms around her and smiled, "I missed you, too, Lupimon… More than you know."

Renamon held Vincent close and nuzzled the side of his face, "Vincent… My god, I thought you were dead… The very thought of it was tearing my heart to pieces…"

Vincent shook his head, "I couldn't stand just sitting around waiting, but that stupid mutt wouldn't let me look for you last night."

"Well, you needed to save your energy. She did the right thing."

"I guess you're right…"

Sora sighed with relief, "Thank god… Now all we have to do is get the hell out of here."

"Yeah," Eri said, leaning her arm on Sora's shoulder, "We can manage our own way out, I think… Now that we're together, anyway."

Gatomon nodded and hopped onto Sora's head, "Yep! So, we ready to go?"

Katsu finally got back on his feet and said, "Almost. Not quite."

"Eh?"

He pointed an accusing finger at Renee, "You didn't give me all your data. In fact, the bulk of what you gave me was stupid Digimon data, not Administrator!"

Renee snickered, "Ya noticed, huh?"

"Give me the goddamn data!"

"Fine, fine, sheesh… I don't need it. Hell, Deus is probably tracking me with it," Renee said. She released the data from her body and Katsu absorbed it. She put her hands behind her head, "So what do you need it for, anyway?"

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out. Tell me when you're going after the last Administrator. I'll be there to help out," Katsu said, walking away.

Lupimon waved to Vincent, "See ya. It was fun being able to hang out with you for a while."

"I guess so," Vincent said, waving back, "But you really need to learn to cut back on your promiscuousness…"

Lupimon laughed and narrowed her eyes, her lips curling into a seductive smile, "Ooh, Vincent… Let's play again sometime…"

Renamon's entire body seemed to twitch, "_What_?!"

"Buh-bye, handsome," Lupimon cooed, walking after Katsu, intentionally exaggerating the swaying of her hips.

Vincent's face was redder than ever. His eye twitched and he breathed in deep, "I hate that woman…"

Renamon walked over to Vincent and leaned her arm on his head, "So… What was _that_ all about. Hmmmm?"

"She's just the most perverted female ever to exist, that's all…"

"And you're just the easiest male ever to exist, I assume?"

"What?! No! Nothing _happened_! She's just being a bitch!"

Renamon put her arm around his shoulders, "I hope so. I'd hate to see you get stuck in a relationship like that without-- I mean, _with_ someone like her, because it'd be hard for you to get out of."

"What were you _going_ to say," Vincent asked, his head tilted to the side.

"Huh? I said what I was going to say."

"No you didn't…"

"Yes I did!"

Sora sighed, "Well, they're back to normal…"

"Aww, no 'two lovers reunited kiss'," Eri asked in a playfully sad voice.

Vincent growled, "Get off that already!"

"Why? It's so _obvious_!"

"No it's not! There's nothing there to _be_ obvious, so I don't know what kinda shit you're high on! What's popular in Japan these days, huh?!"

Eri scowled, "The same shit that's in America."

Renee sighed, "Hey, how 'bout we go and get some rest? I'm sure I can fix the wiring on that teleporter."

"Good idea. All this running around is taking its toll on everyone here," Wizardmon said.

After a quick flight out of the crater, and an equally quick repair of the teleporter's wiring, they were brought back to Datamon's lab. Datamon met them in the teleport room, "Oh, you're all ok! Splendid! I don't know what I would have done had you all been killed!"

"You'd have blown a circuit, ya little microwave," Vincent snickered.

"I swear, you'll run out of electronic appliances to call me one day… Then who will be the wiser?!"

"I'll just recycle them, that's all."

"Oh for the love of--"

"Just like someone could recycle _you_."

"Oh for the love of..!"

Renamon hit Vincent in the head, "Stop it, will you?"

"Fine," he sighed, "Sorry, Datamon."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Datamon said, waving it off, "I'm just glad to see you're all alright."

"It just seems to be one thing after another," Sora sighed.

Renee shifted from one foot to the other, "Um… Is it ok that I'm with you guys?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well… I've done some pretty bad stuff in my time here. I don't want to make it worse by being a burden."

"You're not a burden," Eri said with a comforting smile, "I'm sure you'll be a great help to us."

Renee smiled, "Thanks, Eri. I needed that."

Datamon addressed her, "Now then, Renee, I heard you, over the Digivices, say that you are not the last Administrator?"

"That's right. Deus is. He doesn't operate in a Focus Tower like the others do. He's on a man-made island in the middle of the Virus Sea."

"I see… Sort of a treacherous journey overseas, but flying there would make you all too obvious."

Vincent grinned, "Guess it's time for some good old grand theft Administrator boat."

"Ah, yes! Splendid! I will spend this night checking my sources for Administrator harbors. You all should take the night off. You really need it."

Everyone agreed. They were all about ready to pass out from fatigue. However, regardless of how tired he was, Vincent lay awake on his bed, staring at his ceiling. He sighed and turned on his side, toward Renamon. When they were face-to-face he realized she was awake as well. She blinked, "Can I help you?"

"Can't sleep," Vincent said, shrugging.

Renamon put her arms around him and held him close, "Nervous about tomorrow?"

"That's probably it. We're fighting the last Administrator… It's hard to believe. Then the human world will be restored, and the Digital World will be safe."

Renamon smiled, "You know… No matter where you go, I'm going with you."

"Huh?"

"I know you said you wanted to stay here, but… If you ever decide to go back to your world, I will go with you. Promise."

Vincent snuggled into her, "I'll hold you to that."

Renamon pulled him closer and tighter, "And you'd better promise to stay with me, too, or else I'll torture you into it!"

Vincent laughed, "Ok, ok, I promise!"

They both decided to go to sleep, for tomorrow their greatest test yet would commence. Deus, the last Administrator, waited for them on his island. The battle with him would determine the fate of the Digital World, and the human world as well. The balance of life and death was in their hands.


	22. Deus Ex Izumi

Deus Ex Izumi

Deus sat in his chamber, monitoring the screens and other various mechanisms on the main Administrator computer. He was the only Administrator allowed to access it. No one else could be trusted. Renee had proven that. He pressed a button on the terminal, and the computer displayed the original seven Administrators: Zakk, Charles, Leon, Adel, Tesshin, Renee, and himself. Now only he and the grunts were all that remained of their organization. He grumbled at his own stupidity, "I should have known that Renee would turn her back on me. No matter. I will simply destroy those annoying Tamers and take their data and Digimon to use for my own purposes. Guard!"

A huge golden carapaced beetle with giant pincers came over from the back of the room. Despite its size, it spoke quietly, "Yes?"

"Inform the squad captains that the Tamers are probably heading for us."

"Of course," the beetle said, leaving the room with huge, thundering steps. Deus leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He began to focus the data in his body, making it more concentrated, more defined. He cringed as the data coursed through him, strengthening him and causing agony. Veins became visible on his head. This continued for a few moments, and then subsided.

He breathed in long and sighed, "Now I will be ready for them… Tamers, you may have defeated many Administrators. You may have beaten all but one of the originals. You will _not_ beat me. I am a whole different story."

"Hey! What do you think you're doing here? This is Administrator territory. Leave at once if you know what's good for you," a tall Administrator man said to the Tamers, his weapon still holstered.

Vincent yawned and dug his finger into his ear, "You know, I used to actually be afraid of you guys. Now that only your leader's left, you're more like a disgruntled police force than any real threat."

The Administrator growled and stomped over to Vincent, "What?! I'll have you put into slavery, you little--"

Renamon stepped forward and punched him square in the face, sending him flying into the other two Administrators standing behind him, "Lay a finger on him and you _all_ die!"

Sora laughed, "Alright, let's take the boat!"

"Hey, you can't do that," another Administrator shouted.

"Under who's laws?"

"The Administrators' laws, that's whose!"

"I'm not interested," Sora said, pushing him into the water.

Eri raised an eyebrow, "We went from fighting for our lives to picking on them…"

"Maybe we just found a crop of new recruits," Gatomon snickered.

Wizardmon examined one of the men's ID tags, "Yep. All recruited yesterday."

"They must be desperate for members, seeing as their generals are all dead," Vincent said.

Renee shivered, "You say that with such… disregard for my existence."

"Oh, sorry…"

"Eh, it's ok. I know what you meant."

Patamon flew up a few feet and looked the boat over, "Looks like a supply ship. We should dump all their cargo."

"Or look inside," Sora said, pulling his sword out and prying open one of the boxes. He ripped the top off and grinned, "Jackpot. Fresh Administrator uniforms. As much as I'd love to run in shooting, I think we should sneak this one."

"Good idea," Eri said, grabbing one of the uniforms and examining it, "This fabric… It's really comfortable. What the hell were they going for with this design? I doubt comfort was much of what Deus had in mind."

"He had this strange obsession with happiness of his employees," Renee said, "It was really weird sometimes. One minute he'd care, and another he wouldn't."

"Maybe he's trying to make them efficient?"

"Or maybe he's just completely fucking insane. Now, where the hell is Katsu? He should be here by now," Vincent said.

"Probably fondling that data he wanted so badly," Renee said. Everyone gave her a weird look, and she tilted her head to the side, "Wha?"

"I never expected you to even mention something sexual," Vincent said.

"I'm fourteen. Comes with it."

Renamon snickered, "Sounds like you, Vincent."

Vincent scowled, "Does not!"

Renee put her arm around Vincent's shoulders, "Maybe it'll make us a good couple, eh?"

"What?!"

Renamon breathed flames. She immediately pushed Renee to the side, "Not a goddamn chance!"

Eri raised an eyebrow, "And you said nothing was going on…"

"I'm protecting his fragile mind from the dangers of early relationships!"

"In other words, 'relationships without you'."

"I did not say, mean, or imply that, you bitch!"

Vincent sighed, "Renamon, calm down…"

"Geez, maybe I'm intruding on her territory or something," Renee mused.

"I dunno, did she piss on you, Vincent," Sora laughed.

Renamon hit Sora on the head, "I would never commit such a disgusting act, you sick little..!"

Vincent's Digivice beeped, and he checked the radar. Katsu was approaching. He turned in the direction of their temporary ally, "Well, well… Look who finally decided to show up."

"I would have gotten here sooner, but I had to shake a few pursuers," Katsu said. He looked over at the boat, "That our ride?"

"You see a helicopter?"

"Then let's go."

Lupimon seemed to appear out of nowhere, "Katsu, why'd you leave me back there?"

"Do you think I want to see you rip the skull off of someone's neck?"

"Noted," she said. She noticed Vincent and immediately changed her attitude. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she smiled, "Hello there…"

Vincent pretended he didn't see her, "Alright, let's get on board."

Renamon, however, did not share his action, "Sod off, lupine."

"All's fair in love and war… and all's hot in lust and bedroom…"

Katsu sighed, "Ignore her. She's just trying to get to the both of you."

Vincent opened the bridge of the ship and knocked out the captain, "Soldier, I am here to relieve you."

Sora followed and gave him a worried look, "You know how to drive this thing?"

"It's a boat. How hard can it be? It goes, like, two miles an hour."

"Just don't fuck this up…"

Eri walked in and sighed, "Vincent, we want to be subtle and discreet. Let someone else drive."

"Fuck you," Vincent said, searching around on the boat's control panel, "I know what I'm doing… Well, I will once I know how to turn it on."

Sora pushed him aside, "Alright, I'll do it."

The boat left port and headed for the Administrator island. The disguise worked pretty well, though Lupimon had hidden from the passing ships. She was the only one of her kind, and they knew it. Sora looked uneasy when they approached the harbor, "There's a lot of guards… How are we gonna do this?"

"We just need to disguise her as well," Katsu said, looking at Lupimon.

Lupimon raised an eyebrow, "You think I should wear a suit, too?"

"Sounds like a plan. Not like they're gonna have any dogs sniffing us for drugs."

"Oh, you're funny," Lupimon said, grabbing one of the uniforms from the box. The Administrator harbor masters tossed ropes to the boat, and Vincent and Sora went out to tie the ship to the dock.

The harbor commander stepped onto the dock to greet them. He obviously noticed that they were "new recruits", as every step he took was exaggerated. He was probably trying to make himself look important or enthusiastic.

He stopped a few feet from the ship's deck, "New recruits, welcome to our base. Normally you'd be trained elsewhere, but the other outposts we had established have recently been compromised."

"Not a problem," Sora said, trying to sound as understanding as possible.

The commander removed his hood, revealing his jet black hair and dulled gray eyes. He took Sora's hands and shouted, "You are all very brave individuals, and I salute you all with utmost honor and respect!"

"W-Wha..?"

"Putting your lives on the line in this darkest hour of Administrator rule, leaving your families behind so that, one day, they may live better lives! You young people these days, you are the model of Administrator greatness," the commander said, melodramatic tears streaming down his face. It was obvious that he wasn't trying to look exaggerated before. He just _was_ exaggerated.

"Um… Thank you, sir, but you're giving us too much credit…"

"No! Not at all! Please, modesty is not an issue here, my young recruit! I don't care how the big wigs run the show, I believe that all Administrators should be told, on an _hourly_ basis, how utterly amazing and important they are to the development of this world!"

"Sir," one of the other Administrators said in an agitated voice, "If you're done scaring the newbies, we need to get them signed in and ID'd."

"Oh, fine. A thousand-- nay, a _million_ salutes to you all! Good luck climbing the ranks! Maybe one day Deus himself will thank you in the way I have!"

"I sure hope not," Sora thought.

"Oh, but before you go, I cannot simply let such brave new recruits leave without seeing their faces. Please, don't be shy. Take those hoods off!"

Vincent went cold, "Um… That's ok. I'm having a bad hair day."

"Yeah, um… Me too," Sora said.

"How can that be? You're all just being shy," the commander said, pulling Sora's hood off. He immediately recognized him, "You! You're those Tamers that have been messing everything up!"

Vincent threw his robe off and drew his sword, "So much for subtlety!"

Eri did the same, "I was getting hot anyway!"

The commander snarled, "And to think I extended my compliments to you all! Sickening! Absolutely sickening! Guards! Seize them! No one makes a fool out of Harbor Commander Alexis Brunhilde!"

The Administrator guards immediately surrounded them. Katsu spun the barrels on his Vulcan, "You all want to die? Fine by me."

The majority of the Administrators, which was mainly new recruits, hesitated. Vincent snickered, "They're on their last leg. Not too many brave soldiers left."

Alexis pulled out his gun and pointed it in the air, firing off one shot, "Get them! Now!"

Before his order was received, the Tamers began dispatching the guards. One by one, they were either killed or knocked unconscious. In the end, only Alexis was left standing in their way. He grit his teeth, "Ass! I'm getting out of here! I'll have my vengeance on you Tamers one day!"

The Tamers watched him run off and hop into a speed boat. Renee laughed, "Is it really worth following him?"

"Not in the least," Katsu said, shaking his head, "_I'd _feel sorry for killing someone so… energetic. And that's saying something."

One of the guards on the ground coughed and laughed, "You stupid kids… You don't know what you're in for. The strongest soldiers are inside. You little punks don't stand a bit of a chance…"

"Oh, fuck you," Vincent said, stepping on his face, "I don't give a shit."

They headed inside. There were several branching hallways, all filled with soldiers. Renamon let out a silent grunt, "Too many of them… Which way do we go?"

"Maybe we should just blow the place up. Explosions solve everything," Renee said enthusiastically, but quietly.

"Maybe we should have called BlackWarGreymon… back when he was alive," Sora said, "Just tell him Deus says his DigiMama was a whore."

"This isn't the time to joke," Gatomon sighed.

"Well we'd better think of something fast. Maybe we should just rush them," Vincent said, "Each of us takes a corridor."

"Sounds good enough," Eri said, readying her weapon.

The Digimon Digivolved and they all rushed out, attacking the Administrator soldiers. The building erupted into chaos: Alarms sounded, explosions rocked the entire structure. When the first wave of soldiers dropped, another larger one burst in. And then another, and another, and another. Vincent cringed, "I think rushing was a bad idea!"

"It was _your_ idea," Sora shouted.

Renee screamed as a grenade exploded nearby, "Vincent, I'm gonna torture you in hell if we die!"

They were quickly being surrounded. Taomon threw a handful of spell papers to stall their advance, "Plan! Now!"

Angemon started to shine, "Leave this one to me!"

"What are you gonna do," Renee asked. She jumped when her Digivice began to glow along with him.

Angemon began to Digivolve: His entire body became enveloped in light. Two new wings spread from his back, folding over his shoulders. Two golden sashes locked across his chest, and his gray metal helmet grew taller and turned deep violet. On his right arm, a purple blade appeared, and on the left arm came a violet armor plate. Finally, his legs became encased in silver armor. The light faded, revealing his new form, "Angemon Digivolves to… MagnaAngemon."

Angewomon glanced over at him, "That's the Patamon I know!"

Renee simply gaped, "Wha… aaa… Awesome…"

MagnaAngemon slashed at the enemy soldiers in front of him, "Move or be obliterated!"

The Administrators that were hit were torn to pieces. Those left alive retreated back a bit and called in Digimon reinforcements. Big Digimon like Tyranomon and Monochromon (a gray, four legged Digimon with a large horn on its nose) were the bulk of their force. Along with them were many Commandramon and Kuwagamon. They were all a bunch of Champions and Rookies, but there were a _lot_ of them. MagnaAngemon looked troubled, "I don't want to harm them… They don't have a choice in their actions."

Katsu started firing into the advancing Digimon army, "Neither do we! Kill them before they kill us!"

"I cannot. I will find another way," he turned to Renee, "Activate the protection program."

"Wha? Why," Renee asked.

"Just do it, you'll see. Hurry!"

Renee activated the protection program that they had used on the Focus Towers. Her Digivice beeped and a beam of light shone onto MagnaAngemon. He held his hands in front of him, "Data Upgrade: Delete Corruption!"

A multicolored energy emitted from his hands, and the Digimon stopped in their tracks. They were disoriented for a moment, but soon they began to move on their own. They were free of the Administrators' corruption. The Digimon all ran toward the exit, leaving nothing but the very angry, and very terrified, Administrator soldiers. MagnaAngemon held his sword in the air and brought his arm around in a circle. A circle of energy was traced as his arm went around, and it formed what looked like a closed circular hole in the air. This circle materialized as a door made of gold. It opened as MagnaAngemon shouted, "Gate of Destiny!"

The gate began to suck everything in front of it in. The Administrator soldiers had nothing to hold onto. They were drawn into the gate, and it slammed shut. Vincent looked weary, "Well… That was terrifying."

"No time to be scared," Taomon said, moving forward, "Deus knows we're here!"

Deus sat in his chair, anticipating the Tamers' arrival. He knew that his soldiers would not be able to hold them back. They were simply a distraction. They held them long enough for him to focus the data in his body long enough to defeat them. He smiled and said, "My guests are here…"

On cue, the door exploded, and in came the Tamers and their Digimon. Deus stood and clapped slowly, "Bravo, bravo, Tamers. What started as one city urchin and his pet Renamon turned into one said urchin and one said fox; a man-fur and his Gatomon fur ball; a girl with not only a Wizardmon, but a not-so-friendly ghost as well; a gun-toting maniac who picked up my trash Digimon; and, of course, Renee… One of my own, turned against me… And you've gotten yourself a partner, too. I see now-- you prefer to torment the ones who think?"

"No," Renee snarled, "I don't want to torment anyone anymore… Except maybe you."

"Oh, that animosity," Deus snickered, "The kind I saw in you only a while ago… Tell me, what made you change so quickly?"

"These people… All of them. Humans and Digimon. They all changed-- No… They didn't change me at all. I've always been like this. I just never realized it because you made me think this world was fake."

Vincent drew his sword and pointed it at Deus, "You were once called Izumi Koushiro. A kind boy who could never harm someone if he wanted to. What possessed you to try and take over this world, which you once swore to protect?!"

"And, on top of that, you even killed your friends to do it," Angewomon added.

Deus grinned and said, "Well now… A bit anxious to read ahead, are we?"

"Now, now there… Rest your poor, broken body," the familiar voice said, "Drink this. It will help dull the pain."

His dark voice came in a low, pained drone, "Who are you..?"

"You can't see, can you? The lights are on, and somebody's home. They're just not looking outside."

"Where… am I?"

"My front yard. Merely inches from my house, mind you. You had better thank the heavens that you didn't hit _that_."

"And what would you do to me if I did?"

"I'd finish you off. Though I can't imagine it being any worse than what hit you. You talk in your sleep, you know. It sounded like quite a nightmare," the owner of that familiar feminine voice said. Another vial was pressed to his lips, or what could be considered them, "Maybe this will help your eyesight."

He grunted and gagged a bit, "Horrible…"

"What, a great Mega level Digimon can't take a little bitterness?"

"Bitter…ness…"

"A lot of it in your life."

"How the hell do you…"

"I know a lot of things about you. When I look deep enough, I can see a lot. Maybe some of the things I can see are things you don't even remember."

BlackWarGreymon shut his eyes tight and opened them again. Witchmon was sitting next to him, administering what looked like herbal remedies. He groaned and tried to move. It was a bad idea. He cringed and let out a sharp breath, "Agh..! Dammit!"

"Still, still! You'll only make it worse if you move."

BlackWarGreymon sat silently for a moment and then said, "Why are you helping me?"

"I've got nothing better to do," Witchmon said innocently.

"There's more to it than that…"

"Do you want me to be honest with you?"

"Shoot."

"I _was_ going to kill you. You tried to kill me before, and you tried to kill my friends. And then, to top it all off, you wake me up in the middle of the night and nearly crush my house. There you were, laying there unconscious but still breathing. It would be so easy… So easy to destroy you and end your path of destruction."

"So why didn't you," BlackWarGreymon asked, unafraid of what she would have (and still might have, in his opinion) done to him, "You don't seem the type to take sympathy on the enemy…"

"Well, I did. But it wasn't because you were so injured, and it wasn't because you were so helpless. I didn't kill you because I knew there was more to you than what you said. So I looked deeper into you, and I realized that I was right. There are so many things about you that even you didn't remember when you were risen from the Datastream… It would break my heart to kill you."

"Do yourself a favor and kill me now. I'm only going to kill you once I'm well again."

"I don't believe that."

"Why not-- AGH… Damn," BlackWarGreymon snarled. He had tried to move again.

"Because… I know you are a good soul. You've just… forgotten how to feel happiness, and how to feel compassion. You started off rotten and became good in the end. Why can't that happen now?"

BlackWarGreymon looked away without turning his head, "I can't feel compassion… happiness. I can't simply stop feeling. If all I can feel is hate and anger, then so be it. If I stopped feeling altogether, I'd be just like the Administrator pawns that those kids have been…"

"That they've been saving."

"Yeah… Why do they do it? Why do they go to all the trouble to save this miserable world, when someone else is just going to ruin it in the end? They won't be around to protect it forever."

"Long term protection is offered not by the people who do it, but what those people do. Their actions inspire others to protect our world. That is why they fight. And I'm sure you fought for a very similar reason, when you realized that your existence meant something."

"My existence… Tell me. What did I do… what did I _feel_ that I can't remember?"

Witchmon shifted a bit to get comfortable, "Well… Are you sure you want to take this all in at once?"

"Yes. I suppose a bit of bluntness will be good, after all I've done."

"Alright. Well, it all began…"

"So many years… They take their toll on the mind. Especially when they are as agonizing as mine were," Deus said, his face showing only twisted malice.

"Then tell us," Angewomon said, "Tell us why you did those horrible things!"

"Why? What kind of a question is that? Everyone asks why. No one ever cares how."

"That's not even remotely close to the point!"

"I know… I'm trying to annoy you."

Renee's eye twitched, "He's being himself again… Can we kill him already?! I'm sick of listening to him!"

"You honestly think you can defeat me? Sure, five Ultimate level Digimon may be a bit overwhelming to some, but to me… It is merely a scratch. I will defeat you all single-handedly. Not even my guard Digimon will be necessary."

Katsu started the barrels on his gun, "Are you so sure? You've got a lot of guts for one person."

"I don't have guts. I have data."

"Tell me one thing," MagnaAngemon said, "When you killed Takeru and Yamato, and all of the others… Did any guilt ever cross your mind or heart?"

Deus laughed, "Guilt for a crime I did not commit? Surely you know, I was not the one to carry out their deaths. The gunner was."

"As true as that is, I still cannot accept that you felt nothing for ordering their deaths."

"Oh, I felt. I felt joy at their deaths, at the fact that they would not get in my way."

"You will pay for your crimes…"

Matrimon stepped forward, "Izumi… Can you not go back to the way you used to be? I never saw that kind side of you, but there are those here who have. Even outside the new Tamers, there are a few Digimon left who remember you."

"And I will do well to extract that knowledge from you, find out just how they survived, and kill them," Deus said coldly. He furrowed his brow, "Oukamon… Just looking at you pisses me off. You were a failure from the start. What good was a Digimon who could not even Digivolve. That's what I thought. But now look at you: All grown up. Only you did it at the wrong time, for the wrong person. You should have been loyal to your creator, but no… You failed me."

"I didn't fail you, Izumi. You failed me. I only Digivolve for someone who loves me for who and what I am. Someone who cares for me, past my combat capabilities."

"Caring for one another… Pah! There is no reason. People claim they have all these feelings for one another, and then they turn around and fuck them over… It's disgusting. I will have no more of this business of caring for anyone."

"Izumi, do you have any idea what you're saying? No. I bet you don't. And I can also bet that it isn't me you're trying to convince."

Deus snarled. That last comment put him over the edge. A sphere of data surrounded him and began to glow, "Bitch! You will regret every letter of those words! Every single one!"

The battle began. Deus shaped the data sphere into armor that covered his entire body, and two energy blades formed in his hands. He laughed maniacally, "Let's see how far your 'love' and 'companionship' have taken you all!"

The Tamers and their Digimon leapt into action. Taomon spread her arms and sent out a Thousand Spells attack. The papers covered Deus' barrier and exploded. The attack seemed to do little damage. The barrier was strong. Vincent rushed in with his sword drawn, slashing at Deus furiously. The sword bounced off of the barrier, and Deus knocked him back. MagnaAngemon and Angewomon flew in together, joined shortly by Sora and Renee. The two angel Digimon fired their attacks: MagnaAngemon opened his Gate of Destiny, this time standing behind it and making it release a beam of pure holy energy. Angewomon pulled back as far as she could and fired several Celestial Arrows. Once again, the barrier held. Sora growled, "We need to break that damn thing! Renee, copy my shotgun and we'll focus on one point!"

Renee did as instructed and ran in with Sora, "For redemption!"

The two of them dodged Deus' blades and fired their shotguns into the barrier. A large hole opened up in it, but it quickly sealed back up. Deus scowled and knocked them away, "Perhaps I underestimated their abilities…"

Eri and Mystimon ran in, joined quickly by Katsu and Matrimon. Matrimon and Mystimon struck up close. Matrimon hit with her metal claws, while Mystimon attempted to impale Deus with his sword. The force of both of them attacking on different sides was bending the barrier. Deus backed away just as Eri's kusarigama came soaring in, and Katsu hit the area with a barrage of bullets. Vincent analyzed the attacks from before, "Hitting in one spot works… but the barrier can't compensate for multiple attacks. Everyone, attack from all sides!"

The Tamers and their Digimon quickly surrounded Deus and began attacking. The barrier fluctuated, the numbers in the data beginning to shatter. Deus, however, seemed confident, "I knew you would try that…"

He closed his arms over his chest, and pulled in his knees for a moment. Then he quickly extended them again, sending out a data shockwave that shook the entire building. He immediately went on the offensive. He leapt at Vincent and Taomon, knocking them into one another and then throwing the both of them against the wall. Next was Katsu and Matrimon. He extended his arm out in front of him and gathered energy into it. He fired it at them both, sending them flying. Eri and Mystimon were trying to stand. Deus grinned and rushed them, slashing them both with his swords. He glanced at Sora and Angewomon, and then Renee and MagnaAngemon. He held both of his arms out and fired the same energy blast as before. He stood there, feeling victorious, "Pathetic. This is what I was so worried about? Now, you will all join me or die!"

Vincent stood himself up on his sword and spat out blood, "Never… We'll never join you!"

Sora stood as well, "Yeah, fuck you!"

Eri could not stand, but she raised herself up as much as she could, "I've never bowed to anyone… and I sure won't bow to you!"

Katsu was helping Renee up, "You must be kidding if you think we're giving up that easily!"

Renee gained her balance and nodded determinedly, "You tricked me once before… It'll be a cold day in hell before it happens again!"

Their Digimon partners were standing as well, but they were losing energy quickly. They all de-Digivolved to their Rookie and Champion states. Renamon snarled, "We will still fight, no matter what form we take. Because no matter what, we are Digimon. We are alive!"

"You have no right to take what is ours," Gatomon said angrily. She stood and joined the others.

Wizardmon balanced himself on his staff, "No matter what happens, we will keep on fighting…"

Lupimon, who had been covered by a pile of debris, kicked a large rock off of her and stood, teeth gritted, "I know you're not completely rotten to the core yet, and I intend to stop any further terror you would cause!"

Patamon flapped his ears and flew a few feet off the ground, trying hard to keep himself airborne, "The Digital World belongs to Digimon! Not crazy humans like you!"

Deus shook his head, "Such determination… Too bad it's all in vain. I guess I will simply have to torture you--"

The wall next to him exploded, sending him flying into his computer and breaking the screen. The monitor exploded, and Deus fell on the floor. He quickly regained his balance and stood again, "Who the…"

A large shadow stood in the hole, and a dark, pained voice said, "You bastard… You leave those kids alone!

_Minutes earlier…_

"You helped them. All of them. You were a hero, who even sacrificed his own life for the wellbeing and safety of others," Witchmon said.

BlackWarGreymon was silent. The revelation silently opened doors in his mind that amnesia had locked so tightly. He finally spoke, "It's all true… I know it is. I remember now."

"See? I knew you weren't such a bad guy," she stopped as BlackWarGreymon started to sit up, "Hey, what are you doing?"

"They're going to face the final Administrator, aren't they?"

"Last I heard, yes."

The large metal dinosaur started to stand, "They don't stand a chance if they can't reach Mega level… I have to… help them..!"

Witchmon tried to restrain him, but to no avail, "Hey, you can't go! You can barely blink without hurting!"

"Pain isn't an issue here… I know, now, why I was brought back. This is my destiny!"

"You're going to die again! Do you want that?"

"I've killed many innocents… This will be my redemption," BlackWarGreymon said, activating his thrusters and flying off toward the Administrator island. He cringed as the wind tore against his open wounds, "This is what I was meant to do… My purpose in life. I will fulfill it!"

BlackWarGreymon leaned his arm on the wall to hold himself up. His wounds were still bleeding, and his breaths came in pained heaves. Deus scowled, "You ever hear of knocking? And by that I don't mean 'knocking the wall down'."

"I don't give a rat's ass anymore," BlackWarGreymon snarled. He looked over at the Tamers and their Digimon partners, "Don't you all just stand there! Help me out!"

Vincent nodded, "Right! I know you can't Digivolve, but let's go, Renamon!"

The Tamers and their Digimon attacked Deus, and BlackWarGreymon joined them. He grabbed the barrier that surrounded Deus and charged energy into his hands. When he had built up enough, he fired it point blank. The barrier shorted out, and Deus jumped away from them, "Annoying lizard. You have no idea who you are dealing with!"

"Oh," BlackWarGreymon asked sarcastically, "You're just another human to me!"

Deus grinned and started to gather dark energy in his hand, "Really now? You'll be surprised…"

Sora narrowed his eyes, "Careful… Something's not right."

"You think I didn't know that," BlackWarGreymon growled. He leapt at Deus with his fist reared back, "I'll destroy you!"

Deus pointed his arm at him and fired the dark energy at him, "You are mine now!"

The beam hit BlackWarGreymon, and he stopped dead in his tracks. He grabbed his head and screamed, "What?! What the hell is this?!"

"Soon your mind will be filled with nothing but the desire to serve me. You were so easy, BlackWarGreymon!"

BlackWarGreymon snarled, and a strange energy surrounded him. He slammed his fist into the ground, "I cannot be controlled!"

The corruption beam's effect seemed to be wearing off. Deus grunted and fired another, "Stubborn beast! Just give up already!"

BlackWarGreymon's eyes glowed red as the energy began to course through his body. He took slow, pained steps toward Deus, "Not in your lifetime…"

"It is all futile! Even if you fight, you will die!"

"I don't care!"

"You do not possess the desire to live… You must! It's impossible for anyone not to!"

"I died a long time ago," BlackWarGreymon shouted. With the last of his strength, he leapt at Deus, pinning him to the wall. He looked over at the Tamers, "The rest is up to you!"

Vincent was confused, "What?"

Eri pulled him behind a pile of rubble, "Get down, you moron!"

Deus struggled to free himself, "No! You son of a bitch! You're insane!"

BlackWarGreymon screwed his eyes shut and started to gather more energy than ever. Instead of concentrating it into his hands, however, he made the focus point his entire body. He started to glow, and then shine red, "I'll do all I can, kids... Even if I don't destroy him, I'll do all I can!"

Deus was futilely trying to pry the huge Digimon off of him, "I won't be defeated so easily!"

With one final cry, BlackWarGreymon released the energy in a violent explosion. Even in the noise, his voice spoke one last thing, "Even if I lived just to die, at least I did it for a reason… Thank you, Witchmon... And thank you, Digi-Destined Tamers."

The dust cleared. Deus stood, shaking. He examined his barrier projector. It was busted. Among many other injuries, there was a large gash in his head, leading from his forehead to the middle of his left cheek. He growled, "Bastard… He could have ruined everything!"

Renee laughed a bit, "What? Is that all you've got? That barrier trick your only defense?"

Deus was calm again, "Why no, it wasn't. I have many, many more… But I think I'll only use one of them, because I will not need any more after this."

Katsu readied his gun, "Oh really? And what might that be?"

"Why, it's a little thing I like to call," Deus threw a ball of dark energy into the air, "Enslaving Corruption!"

The energy ball sent out smaller beams at each of the Digimon. They tried to avoid them, but they were too exhausted and injured. They were all hit. Their eyes turned red, and they were gripped with an unceasing rage. They growled and snarled, like rabid animals. Deus laughed and turned to leave, "Deal with them, my new pets… I won't waste my strength on them any longer."

Vincent was flabbergasted. He slowly approached his partner, "Renamon..?"

Renamon turned toward him, and her lips curled back into a snarl. She crouched down on all fours and leapt at him. Vincent moved, dodging her by inches, "Renamon, stop!"

Sora tried to hold Gatomon back, but she was quite strong for her size, "Hey..! Why didn't the protection program work?!"

Eri was dodging magical energy left and right. Wizardmon was in the same rage as the others. She dove behind a piece of rubble, "Deus is too powerful for us to use the normal program!"

"Well we sure don't have anything else," Katsu shouted, punching the ground in front of Oukamon, knocking her back. He quickly dodged her as she leapt at him, "Any bright ideas?"

Renee was plastered against a wall. She regained her composure in time do avoid Patamon's next Boom Bubble, "Patamon, don't do this! I know you're stronger than that!"

"We can't fight our own partners," Sora said, cringing as Gatomon dug her nails deep into his arm.

"I know, but I'm not about to sit here and die! We need to think of something," Eri shouted, deflecting Wizardmon's magical attacks with her kusarigama's blade.

Vincent was pinned to a wall by Renamon, "Dammit! That coward Deus is gonna burn for what he did!"

Renee had caught Patamon from behind, partially immobilizing him and aiming his mouth at the hole in the wall, "Please, Patamon, fight it! I know it's hard, but you have to!"

Katsu was holding Oukamon's jaws, keeping her from biting him. She was slowly pushing him back, "Oukamon… I don't want to hurt you, but if I have to I will!"

Eri was hit by one of Wizardmon's attacks, and she was sent flying backward into a wall. She collapsed to her knees and coughed, "Dammit…"

Wizardmon flew over and bashed her in the head with his staff. Eri cringed and shut her eyes tightly, "Wizardmon… I won't hurt you!"

Sora now had a bloody mouth, where Gatomon had punched him. He stumbled around like he was drunk, "G-Gatomon… When we're done here, I'll remember never to piss you off…"

Vincent struggled to get Renamon off of him. He pushed against her strong arms, but she was winning. It reminded him of the dream Adel had given him. He looked at his partner's face and was shocked when he saw a tear fall down her cheek. Vincent's expression went from hopeless to determined, "Renamon! Listen to me! I know you can hear me in there! Fight the corruption! I know you can do it, Renamon! Don't give up on me!"

Renamon seemed to loosen her grip for a moment, but it was immediately tightened again. She put her paws around his throat and started to squeeze. Vincent cringed and tightened the muscles in his neck so he could still breathe, "Renamon..! I know you can fight it!"

Sora was now on the ground, bleeding from his scratch wounds. He held Gatomon's paws and said, in a struggling voice, "Gatomon… Please, don't do this… I can't live without you by my side..! I want to have more adventures with you, and show you the human world, and so many other things… But I can't do any of that unless you fight!"

Eri was holding back Wizardmon's staff with her kusarigama chain. Her face was bruised and her lip was bleeding. She did not fight the tears that were now streaming down her face, "Wizardmon, I know you're extremely angry right now… I know you can't help what you're doing… But I know you better! I know you don't want to let this thing control you for the rest of your life! I know you don't want to kill me! And I don't want to kill you… I don't want to go home alone again, and I don't want you to be mindless!"

Katsu had Oukamon restrained by her neck fur. She was shaking her head violently, struggling to free herself and finish her Tamer off. Katsu growled, "You didn't like being Deus' willing servant, so why would you let this happen to you?! You can't allow this! _I_ can't allow it! Dammit, Oukamon, close your mind to it! Don't you realize what you're doing? You're going to kill me, don't you get it? I don't want to hurt you! I don't want to! I _can't_!"

Renee had, in an almost comical way, clamped Patamon's mouth shut. He was unable to release his attack. Still, his ears were flapping wildly. One false move and his mouth would be free again. Renee held onto him like a lifeline, "Patamon… We've only known each other for a short time, but I guess partnership like this made you grow on me fast. It's been barely a day and I've already grown attached to you… Please, don't end it like this!"

Renamon listened to Vincent's pleas. She knew in her heart (as all of the other Digimon did) that what she was doing was wrong. She had to fight the corruption. It was nothing compared to what she felt for Vincent! She waged a mental war with herself, and slowly the corruption began to fade. The same went for the other Digimon, whose corrupted minds started becoming more rational. Vincent gasped for air, but none would come. His vision blurred. He tried to speak his partner's name, but his lungs were empty. Renamon, in a burst of pure willpower, broke the corruption's hold over her, "Vincent..?"

The others were starting to revert as well. Gatomon ceased her claw assault on Sora, and instead threw her arms around his neck, "Sora! My god, what did I do?"

Sora was, at first, afraid that she had broken through his block and went for the kill. However, he quickly realized that he had gotten through to her and held her close, "It wasn't your fault… It's ok."

Wizardmon simply dropped his staff on the ground next to Eri and let himself collapse onto her. Confused, he buried his face into her shoulder, "Eri… What happened..?"

"You were under Deus' control," Eri said, putting her arms around him, "Oh Wizardmon… I thought I'd lost you…"

Oukamon stopped her attack and paused for a moment. She let her head hang down upon realization of what she had done. Katsu gave her an odd look, "You alright..?"

"I'm… so ashamed of myself," Oukamon said, turning around and walking.

Katsu stood and took her into his arms, silently. Oukamon was shocked when she felt his face wet her fur. She had never seen him cry before. She let out a canine whimper, "Katsu…"

Patamon returned to normal, and then realized he had a Boom Bubble stuck in his mouth. He turned around quickly and spat it out, collapsing onto the ground out of exhaustion. Renee picked him up and pet his head, "Patamon, are you ok?"

"I think so," Patamon said in a dazed voice.

Renee hugged him and nuzzled the side of his face, "Patamon!"

"Whaaaa… I dunno what happened…"

Vincent collapsed to the ground as Renamon let go. Renamon's pupils shrank, "Vincent!"

He did not move.

Renamon knelt down and checked his pulse. He was alive, but he was not breathing. Had she crushed his neck? She felt his trachea. No damage. It was like he had lost the will to live. She snarled, "Vincent you stubborn idiot! I'm not trying to kill you anymore, so wake your ass up!"

Still he did not stir. He could not hear her. Renamon suddenly realized that he was not just being stubborn. Tears filled her eyes and she opened his mouth with her hands, "You had better be _very_ thankful for this!"

She pressed her lips to his and breathed air into his lungs. She came up, breathed, and repeated. She gave chest thrusts and repeated the process, "Come on, Vincent! _Come on_!"

He started to cough, and blood came out from his mouth. Renamon let out a short gasp and she pulled him into a sitting position, "Vincent, stop! You're not giving up! You're not!"

Vincent coughed again, but this time he breathed in deep. He breathed for a few moments before opening his eyes. He saw Renamon's tear-filled eyes and frowned, "Renamon… why are you crying..?"

Renamon was overjoyed! She shut her eyes tight and a smile appeared on her face. She was trying to hold in her sobs. She threw her arms around him and cried, "Vincent!"

Sora looked over at them, "What's with this..?"

Eri put her hand over his mouth, "Shh!"

"Why does he have to be quiet," Gatomon asked.

"Because I wanna see what happens."

Vincent, who was still a bit dazed, mumbled, "Renamon, it's not a big deal…"

She looked like she wanted to strangle him again, " 'Not a big deal'?! What the hell, Vincent! I could have killed you! I almost _did_!"

"I'd have lived…"

"Wha..! That doesn't even make sense!"

"Wait, what are we talking about again..?"

Renamon hit him on the head, "Wake up _all the way_!"

Vincent was immediately awake, "Hey! Don't hit me!"

"You were being stupid!"

"Was not!"

"Don't argue with me, you… you..!"

Vincent tilted his head to the side, "Are you ok?"

Renamon burst into tears and hugged him, "Stupid goddamn kid, you have no idea how worried I was about you!"

Renee laughed, "Wow, I didn't know love and hate could go together like that…"

"It's not hate," Eri said.

Katsu gagged, "Mushy shit."

"Oh, grow up."

Renamon was sobbing into Vincent's shoulder, "Y-You don't know just how… easy you have it. I nearly lost you, Vincent…"

Vincent was in shock. He did not know what to do or say, so he simply said, "I'm… sorry."

"It's alright… Forgive my rash behavior," Renamon said, still crying.

"Renamon… Thanks for saving me," Vincent said, smiling.

Renamon looked at him, and she could not help but smile back, "You're… welcome."

Eri smiled, "Awww…"

"Pssh," Sora said.

Gatomon snickered, "Sora, there's never a dull moment with you."

Renamon pulled Vincent closer, "Vincent. I don't care what you say, I've been waiting to do this forever, or it at least _feels_ like it."

"Wha? What are you talking about," Vincent asked, slightly nervous by her suddenly commanding voice.

"This," Renamon said matter-of-factly, and she kissed him. It was a long and passionate kiss, and Vincent did not argue or struggle.

Renee turned red, "Eek…"

Eri covered her eyes, "Not for young children…"

Sora shook his head, "Censorship-- BAD!"

Gatomon laughed, "Great, now he's talking like Frankenstein."

Renamon released him from the kiss and blushed, "And I am so sorry for that…"

Vincent shook his head, "No, no… Don't apologize."

"What? What do you mean," Renamon asked. Did he feel the same way? Was he going to lay out all of his feelings for her and say that he loved her?

Vincent scratched the back of his head, "You were worried. People do weird stuff when they're worried."

Renamon's hope crashed and burned, "Oh… Well, you're right."

"Something wrong?"

"Nope," she said happily. She thought, "There's always next time."

Katsu cleared his throat, "Not to interrupt your little affair, but there's still a very angry Administrator waiting for us in the next room."

A golden light came from the hole that led to the outside, and Magnamon appeared, "Wait, children. There is something I must give to you."

Wizardmon was surprised to see him, "My lord, you are endangering yourself by being here!"

"Worry not. I will not be here for long. There is something I must give you all," he handed Eri a computer chip, "Install that into your Digivice. Vincent and Sora's are already occupied, so you are next in line."

Eri did as instructed. Her Digivice beeped, and the speaker on it said, "New program installed."

Magnamon spoke again, "This computer chip will allow you and your Digimon partners to become stronger. Your partners will reach Mega level, and for those of you who do not Biomerge, I have something for you. So, who here will use the Biomerge method?"

"Vincent and I will," Renamon said.

Oukamon chimed in, "So will Katsu and I."

Katsu coughed, "Eh?"

"Yep. Deus designed me to Biomerge."

"So we have to…"

"Yep."

"Oh boy," he said, slightly nervous at the prospect of sharing a body with someone else.

"Alright," Magnamon said, "One, two, three of you… I have three Digimon data orbs here. For Eri, I have the data of the noble Leomon. Use it well."

Eri nodded, "I will."

"For Renee, I have the data of Silphymon. Gatomon should remember that one."

"It used to be a DNA Digivolution with me and Aquilamon," Gatomon said.

"Indeed. I'm sure Renee will use it just as well as you did."

"I'll do my best," Renee said confidently.

"As for you, Sora... I have some data that has passed very recently. Only accept this if you feel that you can handle it."

"That depends on whose data it is," Sora said, a bit nervous.

"It is the data of BlackWarGreymon."

Vincent's eyes widened, "Eesh. Good luck, Sora."

"Keep in mind that you do not have to accept it."

Sora thought for a moment, and then said, "I can do it. I'm sure I can."

"Very well. Now, I must take my leave of you. Good luck, children. You are the shining hope of the Digital World," Magnamon said. He went toward the hole in the wall and turned back to them, "Oh, and to activate your new powers, you must say 'activate program', and then speak the respective program name. Biomerging, Warp Digivolving, or Data Fusion. Good luck, once again."

He walked outside and flew into the sky, vanishing as quickly as he had appeared.

"Well... I guess it's time then," Katsu said. He sighed and turned to his partner, "Do we _really_ have to--"

"Yes," Oukamon said bluntly.

"Oi..."

Oukamon laughed, "You can feel uncomfortable later. Right now we have a redhead's ass to kick."

"Yeah... You're right."

Vincent looked at Renamon, "It... doesn't hurt, does it?"

"Only the first few times, and only for the girl," Eri snickered.

"Shut up! This is serious!"

Renamon shook her head, "No pain. It may feel strange, but it doesn't hurt. I suggest we get on with it."

Vincent took a deep breath and nodded. He held his Digivice high and said, "Then let's do this! Activate program: Biomerge!"

Renamon and Vincent were enveloped in a bright light, and their bodies separated into data. The data started to fuse and coagulate together, forming a new body. The new body was feminine, with all black fur except for the belly and face. Golden shoulder pads and a breastplate, along with gold-trimmed gloves and boots made of silk and adorned with the yin-yang symbol all appeared on her body. Her near body-length silver hair was capped with a golden kitsune-mask helmet. This vulpine beauty was Sakuyamon. However, because of Vincent's differences from Renamon's last partner, there was another change taking place. Instead of a staff, Sakuyamon received a large katana, which was strapped to her back and secured in a pure gold sheath. Two large fox tails appeared, and the transformation was complete. Thus, GranSakuyamon was born.

Vincent was awash in a warm feeling, in a body that was not quite his own, but felt as if it had always been a part of him. Renamon shared the feeling, which she had missed so much. She had longed to feel this way again.

Vincent finally regained his ability to speak, "Renamon... This is amazing!"

"Isn't it? Don't worry about communication. The words will come naturally to us," Renamon said reassuringly.

Vincent had been thinking that just the moment before. Their minds really _were_ linked! He figured he'd explore that prospect later, "I'm ready when you are!"

Sora smiled at his partner, "Ready Gatomon?"

"Just say the word, buddy," Gatomon said, leaping into the air.

"Activate program: Warp Digivolve!"

Gatomon started to change. She quickly Digivolved into Angewomon, and began her final Digivolution. Her revealing white outfit was replaced with teal metal armor, and a white skirt underneath. Her eight original wings fanned out and became golden, and two new feathery wings draped down her back. Her originally blonde hair became brown, and her gray mask became teal and adorned with a golden cross. A shield with a golden unicorn head trim appeared in her left hand, while a golden lance with wings sprouting from the handles appeared in her right hand. Gatomon had Digivolved into Ophanimon.

Sora gaped at his partner, "W-Wow! Gatomon, you're..."

"I suggest you save it for later," Ophanimon said with a slight giggle in her voice. Regardless of her change, she still had the same attitude.

"You're right. We've got some ass to kick!"

Eri gave Wizardmon a worried look, "Hey... Digivolving to Mega isn't gonna change who you are, is it?"

"Of course not. Why would it," Wizardmon asked.

"I... worry, that's all. A lot of things change people. Just like my little 'accidents' changed my mother..."

"I assure you, Eri, that I will never change who I am. In fact, I promise."

Eri hugged her friend, "Thank you... I won't, either."

"So, are we ready?"

"I think so," Eri said, holding out her Digivice, "Activate program: Warp Digivolve!"

Wizardmon floated into the air and began his Digivolution: First to Mystimon, and then to his final form. His robes vanished and were replaced by white armor adorned with golden studs. A horned helmet appeared on his head, and two deep purple wings sprouted from his back. His gloves had changed into armor, which was light blue in color. Each of his palms was fitted with a crimson red gem. Dynasmon was born.

Eri smiled at him, "Well, that sure wasn't what I expected, but you look awesome anyway!"

"Well, I would hope," Dynasmon said, landing in front of her. He was almost twice her size, and each of his wings were as tall as he was. In fact, all of the Digivolved Digimon were quite tall.

Eri ignored the size difference for the moment and closed her hand into a fist. She grinned confidently, "Deus better be writing his will in there!"

Oukamon looked up at her obviously nervous partner, "Are you ok?"

"Should I be honest about that," Katsu asked.

"Hey, come on, it'll be ok. Just think of it as... broadening your horizons!"

He sighed, "Well, I'd have to do this anyway... You ready?"

"I was born ready!"

"Alright then," Katsu held his Digivice out in front of him, "Activate program: Biomerge!"

As with Vincent and Renamon, their bodies dispersed into data and combined. A feminine body was formed, encased in a dark blue armor breastplate, and matching greaves on the legs. On her left arm, a large cannon appeared. On the right, Katsu's metal gauntlet appeared, lined with blade-like protrusions. Spiked silver hair appeared on the head, and piercing red eyes cast their first glance on the world. This was Ragnamon, and she was the only one of her kind.

Katsu was immediately uncomfortable, "Why do I feel so... feminine?"

"Because you are," Oukamon laughed.

"Oh, this is _great_."

"Don't worry. Just focus on the _us_ part, and you'll feel much better."

He had to admit that, once the pride-crushing feminization part was over, he did feel very at ease. He smiled confidently, "Alright then... Let's finish this!"

Renee looked down at her partner, "You ready for this, Patamon? I mean, you just reached Ultimate level before. Are you gonna be able to handle this?"

"I've done it once before, with my last partner. I can't remember it very well, but I know I can handle it," Patamon said confidently.

Renee smiled and held her Digivice out, "I believe in you, pal. Activate program: Warp Digivolve!"

Patamon immediately Digivolved into Angemon, and then to MagnaAngemon. Then he began to Digivolve to his Mega level: His original eight wings unfolded and turned golden, and two new wings joined them. Light blue armor plated his body, and his purple half-mask turned into a horned helmet adorned with a golden cross. A yellow loincloth draped down his front side, and the Digivolution was complete. Seraphimon had formed, once again.

Renee was overwhelmed, "Wow... That's amazing!"

"Don't get too excited. We still have a job to do, remember," Seraphimon said.

"Got it," Renee said confidently, "I will repay this world for my wrongdoings... I will repent!"

Sora, Eri, and Renee now remained to take their next forms. They all held their Digivices into the air and said, "Activate program: Data Fusion!"

Eri was first. Her body started to shine and change: Her human ears disappeared and were replaced with those of a lion. Her hair shortened and turned blond. Her dark clothing disappeared, and the became clad in a revealing red-orange bikini-like outfit. A leather strap formed around her left wrist, and brass knuckles formed on her left hand. A short sword was strapped to her back, and a lion's tail completed the change.

Eri examined herself and blushed a bit, "I look so... _easy_."

"Oh, save it for later," Renee said, laughing. She was next. Her clothing disappeared, and were replaced by a feathered lower half with bird-like feet, and a metal breastplate that covered her chest. Metal shoulder pads appeared on her, and a metal plate covered her eyes. Gatomon-like ears replaced her human ones, and her hair shortened. Feathery protrusions extended from her forearms, and she was complete. She looked down and said, "Now I know how you feel, Eri."

"Doesn't it make you feel so... _slutty_?"

"Yes!"

Sora sighed, "What are ya gonna do..."

He began to change. The armor of BlackWarGreymon appeared on his body, as did the deadly Dramon Destroyers that had crushed many Digimon foes. BlackWarGreymon's horned helmet appeared on Sora's head. Sora's blue hair flowed from the back of the helmet, and his yellow eyes shone through the eyeholes of the mask. It was complete.

BlackWarGreymon's voice resounded through Sora's mind, "I hope this helps... I don't want to have been useless to you kids, after all I've done."

Sora shook his head, "Don't worry. You're not useless. This is all the power I need. Thanks, BlackWarGreymon."

Eri scowled, "Of course, only the women are dressed scantily..."

Renee joined her, "This _must_ be a joke."

Dynasmon sighed, "We have an Administrator to beat, you know."

GranSakuyamon nodded and said, "Alright then. Deus, your time in this world is up!"

They proceeded into the next room and prepared for the final battle against the Administrators.

Renee said silently, "Deus... Please just give up. I know there's something still good in you..."


	23. Requiem

Requiem

Deus stood atop a large platform in the next room. A huge machine that easily reached the top of the tower stood behind him. He had retreated to the center room of the tower, where he prepared for the final battle.

He pressed a few buttons on the terminal on the machine, "Soon, my guardian... Soon you will use that power which I have been feeding you ever since... that very night."

The Tamers and their Digimon burst through the door, knocking the guard Administrators to the sides. One by one, they entered the room, fully reenergized and prepared to deal the final blow that would cut loose the heart of the Administrators.

Deus smiled, "So, my worthy adversaries... You've arrived."

He turned to them, paused for a moment, and said, "Do I know you all?"

GranSakuyamon unsheathed her sword and pointed it at him, "We are the saviors of the Digital World, and the objects of your demise!"

Deus recognized them now, "I see... You all have obtained Mega level. Truly remarkable, this process of Biomerging. Through the miraculous works of the Digital World, humans and Digimon become one entity. My Digimon was unable to obtain this level of transcendence. Luckily, he still had some use to me."

He snapped his fingers, and the huge machine behind him began to lift its covering. Behind the metal cover was a giant golden beetle-like Digimon with razor-sharp claws and a gaping maw lined with teeth. Three large poles jutting from the ceiling were constantly feeding him with pure digital energy, and his entire body was writhing in what could only be described as unimaginable agony. The machine shut off, and the Digimon stepped out, making the ground rumble as it walked.

Ophanimon gasped, "Kabu...terimon?"

"_Hercules_Kabuterimon," Deus corrected, "My original Digimon partner. I do believe some of you know him as Tentomon."

Seraphimon shook his head. As he examined the insect's body, he noticed countless scars, cuts, burns and abrasions. He said, with noticeable pity, "Tentomon... How could you stand by and simply allow this to occur?"

HerculesKabuterimon was silent for a moment. He sighed, "I am sorry... Koushiro is my partner, and will always be so. I will not turn from him, no matter what path he takes."

Deus seemed distracted for a moment, but he quickly came back to reality, "Even with your newly found Mega levels, you will not defeat us. The data I have been feeding into him for the past years has made him all but invincible. As for myself, I have been keeping something away for a desperate time like this. The very power that allowed myself and many others to become Digi-Destined! Observe!"

He spread his arms outward, and eight glowing orbs surrounded him. They materialized into Digivices, and their data began to stream into his body. His red hair turned black and spiked upward, and his eyes turned red. A dark robe covered his body, two chains wrapped around his arms and across his chest, and two black feathered wings sprouted from his back. The symbols of each of the original Digi-Destined Crests, including his own, circled around him.

Deus grinned evilly and materialized his swords once again, "Now their powers are mine... the ones who I used to call allies."

Ragnamon stepped forward, "Izumi, please! Don't make this the only way to end this... I know you've had a rough life, and I know you were consumed by hate and jealousy, but... I know this isn't you, Izumi. I know it isn't."

HerculesKabuterimon turned to his partner, "Koushiro... I go wherever you do."

Deus closed his eyes and frowned, "Those Digi-Destined bastards... They knew nothing of this world. I knew, but they always looked down on me because of my physical weakness. Especially that... Taichi. Always so arrogant, so loud, so hyper. What a nuisance he always was. Everyone looked up to him, saw him as a leader. What a load of crap."

Ragnamon looked at him intently, "_Koushiro_..."

"Where do you get off calling me by my first name? That is reserved for friends _only_ in Japan, you know."

"So Tentomon is your friend?"

"If I have anything of the sort, he would be the closest, and the only, thing that fit such a word. I don't care either way," Deus said coldly.

Sora let out a grunt that could have been a laugh, "You're pathetic. You let such feelings of jealousy bring you to do what you did? You're no better than a common murderer."

"Quite to the contrary, my man-fur friend. I am much better, in terms of power and efficiency. I dare say, I impressed myself with the amount of power I have gained over the years."

"And for what," Dynasmon asked, "To prove to yourself that you were better?"

"Pretty much."

GranSakuyamon growled, "You are the most selfish abomination the human world has wrought..."

"You all flatter me," Deus laughed

"You won't get away with this. Even if we all have to die, we'll stop you," Eri said, clutching the hilt of her sword tightly.

Renee stepped forward with the saddest frown she had ever made, "Deus... I know you're not all bad. Zakk even told me that you've got a better reason for all of this."

"Shove what that spiky-haired freak said," Deus shouted, "What he told you was worth about as much as a sack of _shit_. My reasons have been made clear to you already, so get off it!"

Vincent spoke through GranSakuyamon, "Just tell me one thing, Deus... Koushiro... Was it you who ordered my parents dead?"

Deus grinned, "Well now... You figured it out. Bravo, fox boy, bravo. It's a pity that you had to survive that attack, though. You wouldn't have been such an annoying thorn in my side had you not."

Vincent snarled, "I knew it... You despicable bastard... You will receive no mercy!"

Deus laughed, "I think that's a threat, HerculesKabuterimon... Let's end this, once and for all."

With those words, the saviors of the Digital World, and the final Administrator and his partner began their last battle.

Deus signaled to his partner, and HerculesKabuterimon spread his arms out to the sides. Electricity began to course through his arms and his chest. In one swift movement, he sent the arcs of electricity toward the opposition, "Mega Electro Shocker!"

GranSakuyamon leapt to the front and channeled energy in front of her. A barrier of crystals formed in front of them, and the electricity arcs were deflected, hitting into several computers and other vital equipment.

Deus advanced on the Tamers, "Don't let up! I don't care if you have to destroy the entire tower, as long as we kill these damn kids!"

Ragnamon aimed her gun arm at Deus and fired, ""Flame Blast!"

A fiery projectile sent him flying backward, crashing into the machinery behind him. The Crests around him glowed from the attack.

He grinned, "As long as I have the power of the Crests, I won't be so easy."

Ophanimon aimed her spear at HerculesKabuterimon and fired a beam of energy from it, "Eden's Javelin!"

The beam hit the beetle Digimon, but it did little damage. Ophanimon snarled, "The energizing of the data is protecting him..."

Dynasmon took position next to her, "Then we'll all just have to concentrate!"

"You're right," Ophanimon turned to the humans that had not Biomerged, "Leave Kabuterimon to us. You guys take care of Deus."

Sora nodded, "You got it. I've been wanting a piece of him for a while now, anyway!"

The humans went to face Deus, and the Digimon lined up to play a game of Digital Orkin Man.

The Digimon rushed toward their foe. GranSakuyamon's sword became surrounded in a strong wind, and it tore into HerculesKabuterimon as she struck, "Shinjitsu no Kaze!"

Ophanimon and Seraphimon joined in next. Ophanimon once again fired her Eden's Javelin, while Seraphimon used his Hallowed Ascension attack: A large bolt of lightning that pierced into HerculesKabuterimon's shell. Ragnamon fired her Flame Blast, and Dynasmon unleashed his powerful Breath of Wyvern, which pushed the beetle Digimon into the back of the room.

The battle may have looked one-sided if HerculesKabuterimon had not gotten back up, only slightly fazed from their attacks. He began to charge his center horn with electricity, and he fired it into the group of Digimon before him, "Horn Buster II!"

The attack blew out the wall, and the Digimon were now being rained on by debris. Although the damage done by the falling metal was nothing in comparison to that of HerculesKabuterimon's attack, it was beginning to concern them. If they kept up the structural damage, the whole tower would collapse. Still, they pressed on with their attacks, never giving in, and never letting up.

Meanwhile, Sora and the other humans were facing off against Deus. Even in a three-on-one fight, the power of the Crests was giving Deus all the power he needed. He grinned and said, "You pathetic children! Do you really expect to defeat me now? You couldn't beat me with all of your combined efforts before. Why, I doubt that you can even land a single--"

Eri came up from behind and punched Deus in the back, releasing a burst of energy as she landed the hit, "Fist of the Beast King!"

As Deus flew forward, Sora kicked him upward and aimed his arms at him, firing several green energy blasts at him, "War Blaster!"

Renee gathered energy into her hands and fired it at Deus, "Top Gun!"

Deus was thrown to the back wall, but he recovered. He cursed himself for being so cocky, "These kids really do mean business..."

The battle raged on. Energy blasts were thrown all over the place, and the tower's walls became more and more open. The power had long since been knocked out, and the computer terminals in the room were turned to scrap.

Ragnamon took cover behind a pile of rubble as HerculesKabuterimon's attack whizzed by, "It's pointless to attack one at a time, or even in pairs! Everyone attack, all at once!"

They all agreed and leapt out at their foe, only to be hit by a second blast of electricity. They were thrown against the ground, and HerculesKabuterimon pursued them. He swept his giant horn across the ground, knocking his adversaries across the room in random directions, "Giga Scissor Claw!"

GranSakuyamon groaned as she stood, "This isn't working..."

"Well, no shit," Dynasmon said, kicking a rock over, "But if we don't take him out first, he'll murder us!"

Seraphimon stood again, "I say we try that again, but wait next time. I'll distract him!"

There was no better plan, so they all agreed. Seraphimon flew out from his hiding place and charged at HerculesKabuterimon. The beetle Digimon had already charged another Horn Buster, and fired it at him. Seraphimon dodged the attack and signaled to his comrades, "Now!"

The others jumped out and let loose their attacks. Seraphimon summoned seven orbs of energy around him and sent them at the enemy Digimon, "Seven Heavens!"

Ophanimon let her Eden's Javelin fly, Ragnamon fired her Flame Blast, and Dynasmon used his Breath of Wyvern.

GranSakuyamon summoned four fox spirits, imbued with the powers of fire, water, wind and lightning, and sent them at HerculesKabuterimon. The attacks struck the beetle Digimon simultaneously, and he was thrown into the machine behind him. The machine's fuel source was broken, and the heat from the attacks caused it to explode. HerculesKabuterimon was buried under the pile of rubble that rained down from the attacks.

Deus turned to his partner, "What?! Impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible," Ragnamon said, joining her allies. The others joined them as well, and prepared to fight.

Deus snarled and held his arms out to the sides, "You are all going to pay for this! I'll take this whole place down with me if I have to!"

He began to shine, and every bit of spare data in the room was drawn into his body. He fired the energy at the Tamers and their Digimon, and the room was enveloped in a blinding light.

As the light faded, and the smoke from the attack cleared, Deus examined the results of his attack. He was pleased to see his enemies sprawled out on the floor. However, his expression quickly soured as they began to get up again. He spat, "You're all gluttons for punishment."

Once again, the Tamers began to attack Deus. Their attacks were effective, but Deus still had the Crests. They would not allow him to die so easily. He created a blast wave that pushed his opponents back, and began to charge another attack, "You just don't learn, do you?"

Suddenly a bright orb of energy burst through the ceiling and hit Deus, knocking the Crests out of orbit with his body. The orb of light faded, and revealed what looked like another crest floating before him. Deus snarled, "What... The Crest of Kindness? Who is interfering this time?!"

The crest disappeared, and GranSakuyamon spoke, "It is the will of the Digital World that you are defeated. To deny its will is impossible."

"Is that so?"

"The Digital World once nearly destroyed its inhabitants once before. It will certainly intervene to destroy you!"

The Tamers and their Digimon partners took the opportunity to attack. GranSakuyamon used her Twin Blades of Beauty and Truth. Two blades of energy appeared in front of her body, and they soared at Deus. Ragnamon used Flame Blast, Ophanimon fired her Eden's Javelin, and Seraphimon let loose his Hallowed Ascension.

Dynasmon pressed his hands together and fired a double helix-shaped attack, "Dragon's Roar!"

Eri leapt in with her Fist of the Beast King. Renee began to charge her entire body with energy, and when she had enough she fired the attack at Deus, "Astral Laser!"

Finally, Sora began to absorb energy from the room the world around him. He held his arms in the air, and a red energy ball formed in his hands. He hurled it at Deus, "Terra Destroyer!"

The Crest of Kindness appeared once again and joined their attacks. Its power amplified them and joined them all as one attack. Together the Digimon and Tamers shouted, "Crest Attack: Kill With Kindness!"

The attack hit Deus head on, and the tower was rocked with a huge explosion. The smoke cleared. Deus was on his back, and his Digital armor and enhancements were gone. The battle was over. The Tamers and their Digimon de-Digivolved, and those who had Data Fused reverted to their normal states. They quickly surrounded Deus to make sure he was unable to fight.

Deus closed his eyes, "Whenever I looked at this world... at the faces of the Digimon who had to face hardships every day just to get by... I realized that all the work we had ever done to make this world a better place... had failed."

"That's not true, Koushiro," Vincent said, "You know that life is full of hardships."

"Why do you think I destroyed the human world? It was going to end some day anyway. The only difference between humans and Digimon, is the fact that Digimon can be made to feel nothing."

"Your cause was great, Koushiro," Oukamon said sadly, "But you went about it the entirely wrong way."

"Did you even care about those you hurt and killed," Renamon asked.

Deus was silent for a moment, and then said, "In my own way, I did... I just never showed it."

Renee knelt down to him, "Koushiro... Why did you have to do this?"

"Because I was a selfish bastard," Deus said, coughing up blood, "And now I'm paying for it."

A pile of rubble burst, and HerculesKabuterimon limped out, "Izzy..."

Deus' eyes opened wide, "Tentomon... It's been years since you called me that."

HerculesKabuterimon de-Digivolved to his rookie form, Tentomon, and joined his partner, "Izzy... It's time to... stop this."

"I know..."

"And I hope you also know... that neither of us are going to make it."

Deus' eyes flooded with tears, "I... know."

"It's ok. You can be forgiven if you let yourself."

"For all I've done?"

"As long as you realize you were wrong, and repent in this world's DataStream, then no one can tell you otherwise."

"You are sure..?"

"Absolutely."

Gatomon and Patamon called to him, "Tentomon..."

Tentomon looked like he would have smiled if he could, "Sorry, guys... We can catch up some other time, right?"

Gatomon sniffled, "O-Of course we can."

Patamon nodded with tears streaming down his face, "You know we can, Tentomon."

Tentomon nodded, "Come on, Izzy... Everyone's waiting. We can go and see them again, and make things right. How does that sound?"

Deus smiled and put his arms around his partner, "Prodigious."

With that, Koushiro Izumi and his partner Tentomon dissolved into data. The pure non-Administrator data fused with Tentomon's Digimon data, and formed into the symbol of the Crest of Knowledge. Their voices rang out in the silence that followed, "Together we will protect this place, as one."

Renamon sighed, "Just man lost in his childhood..."

"I knew you had it in you, Koushiro," Oukamon said happily, "I knew you were still in there somewhere."

Renee held Patamon close to her, and she had started crying well, "Patamon, you're making me cry, too..."

"I'm sorry," Patamon said in between sobs.

Gatomon shut her eyes tight, "Tentomon..."

Sora picked her up and hugged her, "It's ok..."

Vincent said a silent prayer to them, "It's over... It's finally over."

Eri looked down, "Why don't I feel happy..?"

"Considering what just happened," Wizardmon said, "I don't quite blame you."

A golden light was cast over them, and Magnamon landed behind them, "Amazing job, children and Digimon alike! The Royal Knights saw the battle. What a fantastic display!"

Everyone was silent. Magnamon nodded, "Yes, I know. I knew him, too. However, you should all rejoice. Tentomon is not gone. He will be here with Izzy for as long as the Digital World needs them. Do not mourn their deaths."

Gatomon smiled a bit, "Thanks, Magnamon..."

"Of course."

Vincent turned to the golden-clad Digimon, "Hey, Magnamon... Just who sent the Crest of Kindness to help us?"

"We did. The Royal Knights hold onto everything salvaged from the previous Digi-Destined, post-death," he went over to the Digivices that Izzy had used and retrieved them, "These are the eight original Digivices."

Renee examined one, "Wow... They look so... _plain_."

"Well, they were also not as advanced as yours are. In any case, the Crest of Kindness is a weapon that we use only if the situation is dire. As you well know, that situation fit the word perfectly."

"Indeed," Renamon said, "Thank you."

"So what are you going to do with the other crests," Eri asked.

"We will take them, as well," Magnamon said, "The Crest of Knowledge is safe, as it has the data of both its holder and his Digimon partner. However, the others could very well be used by anyone with the right-- or _wrong_-- ambitions."

"My lords," Wizardmon said, bowing, "Your assistance was not below life saving. Thank you."

"Wizardmon, you flatter us always," Magnamon laughed, "You are a good Digimon, with a good partner, and good friends. I am proud of all of you."

Renee smiled, "So, is the Digital World safe?"

"Yes, it seems so. I do believe your friend Datamon promised you to restore the human world upon the Administrators' defeat, Vincent."

"You're right," Vincent said, "That overgrown pressure cooker had better make good on his side of the deal!"

Renamon laughed, "Of course he will."

Magnamon nodded, "I must be off. There are always matters for a Royal Knight to attend to. Children, Digimon, you have the thanks of the Royal Knights and the entire Digital World. Your names and actions will go down in history!"

Magnamon gathered the crests and left them. Vincent turned to see Katsu taking Izzy's Administrator data, "Hey, so what do you do with all that anyway?"

Katsu was silent for a moment. He turned to face Vincent, "I'm sorry... all of you."

"Eh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Take it for what you will," he said, leaving.

Oukamon followed him, "You said that because of..."

"Right... Beelzemon. They thought the Administrators were bad. They're gonna need a miracle..."

"Oh, you did it! Absolutely wonderful! I _knew_ putting my trust in you all would pay off," Datamon shouted ecstatically.

"We couldn't have done it without you, you know," Renamon said, "You gave us advice and intel that we would have otherwise missed, and it would have certainly cost us."

"Oh, stop."

"No, it's true," Eri said happily, "You were a great help, Datamon."

"You all are way too kind," Datamon laughed, "Never in my life have I met anyone who I would prefer over you all."

Vincent smiled, "Even with my annoying you constantly?"

"I don't think my life would be quite the same otherwise."

"So Datamon, have you figured out how to restore the human world," Renee asked.

"Actually," Datamon said, getting serious once again, "There always has been something here in the Digital World that is key to the human world's restoration. The same goes for the human world, to our world."

Vincent fumed, "You mean you had the means this whole time and you didn't even tell us?!"

"Now hold on, Vincent! I didn't hold out on you without reason. The fact is, even if I did tell you, there is no known way to power this machine."

Vincent's ears drooped, "Oh... Great."

"However, with the Administrators out of the way, we can search for the necessary data to power it!"

"So where did this data go?"

"I don't know. I haven't been to the Digital Core for years, but apparently someone has. They apparently stole the data that powered the Genesis device and used it for something we don't know about."

"Wait," Eri said, "How many data patterns did it take?"

"Seven. Why?"

"Weren't there... seven Administrators?"

The room went silent for a moment, and then Vincent shouted, "That rat bastard Katsu! I _knew_ there was something fishy about his whole data collecting thing!"

Renee counted off on her fingers, "Charles, Leon, Adel, Tesshin, Me, Koushiro, and Zakk... It fits. Then again, wouldn't it make sense for them to be able to destroy the human world so quickly? If they just inverted the energy output on the Genesis device, converted the data to its negative state, open a temporal rift to the human world and fire the 'anti-Genesis' weapon and then take the data for themselves..."

Vincent raised his hand, "Hey, Renee?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you repeat that in English?"

Renee sighed, "In other words, turn the good data bad, use it to make an opposite effect to that of the Genesis device, and then absorb the bad data and use it for their powers."

"Ooooh..."

"It wasn't _that_ complicated."

"I'm fourteen."

"So am I."

"You're a computer nerd."

"Look who's talking, Mr. Hacking Device."

Vincent scowled, "I don't make idle chat about 'inverting this and that to this and that bullshit'."

Sora laughed, "Ok, you two."

Renamon thought, "At least she's stopped flirting with him."

The rest of the day passed quickly, and they all went to bed early. They had to devise a plan to get the stolen data back from Katsu so they could restore the human world.

Vincent fell onto the bed and groaned, "Ow, my shoulders... Hell, I might as well say my whole body aches... because it _does_."

Renamon gave him a concerned look, "You ok?"

"I'll be fine," Vincent said, moving slowly to lessen the pain.

Renamon gently lifted him up and laid him on his stomach. She straddled him and started rubbing his shoulders, "This better?"

Vincent melted under her skilled hands ((Author note: YES, ok, it sounded VERY wrong...)), "Whaaaaa..."

"Are you alright," Renamon asked, peeking over at him.

"What kind of answer would make you keep going," Vincent asked dreamily.

Renamon stifled a laugh, "Alright, I get it."

Vincent mumbled something incoherent and said, "Renamon..."

"Yes?"

"Is there anything you can't do?"

"I don't quite understand."

"You're a great fighter, you're strong, you're wise, you're kind, you're forgiving, you're caring, you've got this magic touch going on," Vincent paused for a moment and then said, "Plus you're a good kisser."

Renamon's face went red, "Wha--! V-Vincent..."

"You sure you've never been with anyone before? 'Cause it sure don't look like it to me..."

Renamon was speechless. She thought, "It's ok, just calm down... He's not thinking straight. He's a little too relaxed for his own good, that's all... Right."

"Can you move lower, if it's not a problem?"

Renamon snapped out of her panic, "R-Right..."

She thought to herself again, "Still... he did say all those kind things about me... Maybe all he needed was to loosen up physically to do so mentally?"

She shook her head and cursed herself, "No, no, no, don't even think about it! You're so damn much older than him so quit thinking such things! Here's how it's gonna work from now on: The next time you even _think_ something like that, I'll pull your ears off! And why the hell am I talking to myself?!"

Vincent looked up at her and saw her agonized face, "Renamon... Are you ok?"

"Wha? Um... Yes! Fine, fine, fine, yes... I'm ok."

Vincent raised an eyebrow, "You haven't acted this suspicious since... ever."

Renamon put pressure on his shoulder blades, "Shut up, will you?"

"Aaaaahhh... Fine..."

She sighed, "It's really this easy to immobilize you?"

"For you it is," he said, "Because I trust you."

"Good. That means you won't be killed because a seductive LadyDevimon puts her moves on you," Renamon said laughing.

"Yep. Hey, I wanted to ask you something earlier. Did you... see any of my personal thoughts while we were Biomerged?"

"No. Did you see mine?"

Vincent shook his head, "Nope. I was too psyched for battle that I forgot to."

"You mean you were going to?"

"Well, weren't _you_?"

Renamon laughed nervously, "What gives you that idea..?"

"Because it's written all over your face."

"You can't _see_ my face right now."

"That's how obvious it is."

"Ooh, good one," Renamon said sarcastically, moving to his lower back.

Vincent smiled, "You can stop now. Thank you."

Renamon sat normally and nodded, "You're quite welcome."

"I'll return the favor some day when I'm not so," he paused to yawn, "tired..."

"I'll hold you to that, then."

Vincent leaned into Renamon, snuggling into her fur, "I guess we don't need to rush to get that data back from Katsu. Who knows, maybe he's got the same motive as we do."

"I doubt that. Something about him just makes me feel uncomfortable, and it's not the fact that he's a murderer."

"Maybe. I don't know."

"It's midnight already," Renamon said, looking at the clock, "We should get to sleep."

"Mhm," Vincent said, leaning to the side, making them both fall over.

Renamon smiled and covered Vincent in her tail, "Goodnight, Vincent."

"Goodnight, Renamon."

"Hey, Gatomon, are you ok," Sora asked his feline friend.

Gatomon quickly wiped the tears out of her eyes, "I-I'm ok."

"You don't look it... Tell me what's wrong."

"It's just... Tentomon. He's gone. It's bad enough that all the original Tamers and Digi-Destined are dead. Now there's barely any of the original Digimon left."

"That's not true," Sora said, "There's still you, Patamon, WarGreymon, MetalGarurumon, Magnamon... I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but you can't let it get to you. Things happen, unfortunately. Believe me, I've had my share of dead friends."

Gatomon nodded, "I know. I just want the best for all of them, that's all."

Sora sighed, "You've... really been through a lot, huh?"

Gatomon nodded and choked out an, "Mhm..."

Sora picked her up and hugged her, "Let it all out. You look like you need to."

Gatomon buried her face into Sora's shoulder and sobbed, "Sora... Don't ever leave me or die or change... Please..."

Sora shook his head, "I won't, Gatomon. I won't."

"You're a great partner. I love you."

"I love you, too. I promise I'll never leave you... You're the best friend I've ever had," Sora said, smiling.

Gatomon smiled and sniffled, "I hope that... if you decide to go back to the human world... wherever you live allows cats."

Sora laughed, "It does, don't worry."

Eri sat on her bed, silently contemplating the situation. Wizardmon walked in and saw her deep in thought. He tried to see what she was thinking, but her mind was completely closed. She was one of the only people whose minds he could not read.

Eri turned around and saw him, "Oh, hey."

"Something the matter," Wizardmon asked her, sitting next to her.

"The human world... I'm all for restoring it and everything, but I don't look forward to living with my mother again."

"I see... However, I'm sure the others will be going back."

"Yeah. If that's the case, then I will, too. As long as you're with me, of course."

"I would never see it any other way. You're the reason I was returned to this world, Eri," he put his hand on hers and nodded, "I will go wherever you do."

Eri smiled, "Then maybe it would be a bit more tolerable at my house. As long as I've got friends like you, I can put up with anything."

"I'm glad. Besides, if your mother is the shrew you describe her to be, I have a few ways of keeping people quiet."

"You're not gonna hurt her, are you," Eri asked, getting a bit nervous, "As much as I hate her, I don't want any trouble to start."

"Of course not. What do you take me for?"

Eri grinned and tackle-hugged him to the bed, "My bestest friend Wizardmon, of course!"

Wizardmon laughed, "I'm so glad you're light... because I'd be a Pancakemon if you weren't."

"Good, you know to _never_ call a girl fat," Eri said with a big smile, "Not that it would happen to you, because I just _love_ you that much, but the last person who called me fat had to pick his bicycle out of his ass."

Wizardmon laughed nervously, "Just remind me to... never ever make you angry."

"Nah, you couldn't make me angry."

"Even if I called you fat and ugly and many other bad things?"

"Don't push it," she said cheerfully.

Wizardmon jumped, "Right, sorry!"

"I'm kidding, chill out!"

"Oh, alright," Wizardmon said, relieved.

Eri hugged him closer to her and smiled, "Let's go to sleep. We'll need the energy to put the pressure on Katsu for that data."

"You're right. Goodnight, Eri."

"Goodnight," she said. She thought to herself, "Katsu... We never got to talk, did we..?"

Renee yawned and fell onto the bed, "I'm bushed, Patamon... I bet you are, too, huh?"

Patamon fell next to her, "I can barely keep myself in the air..."

"So what do you think we should do? Should we go to the human world, or should we stay here?"

"The human world is really interesting. Besides, there's still so much I haven't seen there. I know I want to go there, but what about you?"

Renee sighed, "I don't know if I'll be welcome there... Did anyone else survive? Did they even figure out what happened, and who did this? If they know, then I don't know if they'd even let me live."

"Not to be cruel, but I don't think many people survived. Even if they did, how would they find out who you guys were?"

Renee shrugged, "It's a gut feeling."

"Yeah, I understand that."

Renee turned over and faced him, "So Patamon... if you don't mind my asking, what was your last partner like?"

Patamon was silent for a moment. He nodded, as if assuring himself, and said, "When I first met him, he was really young. Younger than you or Vincent, actually. He was quick to cry a lot of the times, but he was a brave kid. He grew up to be a fine young man. He was always really nice, and I honestly think he had this big thing for Kari, Gatomon's last partner. As good a partner as he was, I couldn't ever wish him back."

Renee smiled, "Aww, you're sweet."

"I haven't known you for even half as long as I knew Takeru, but I really like you, Renee. You're a good person, even if you were misled. I believe in you, Renee," Patamon said confidently, "And I'll protect you from any danger that ever comes your way!"

"And I'll do the same for you," Renee said, hugging him and pulling the covers over them both, "Night night... partner."

"Night," Patamon said happily.

Katsu arrived in Beelzemon's chamber with his Digivice ready. He would have given it to him immediately, but Beelzemon was busy. It was all well for him, though, as he had something to do before he relinquished it over to his Lord.

Beelzemon grinned as Katsu entered the room, "Excellent, Katsu. Well done! The final Administrator's data. All we need to do now is find Administrator Zakk's killer, and I will be able to extend my control over the entire Digital World! You will have some time off, as you have served me well. Unlike that pathetic BlackWarGreymon..."

"With all due respect," Katsu said, "BlackWarGreymon saved us. You wouldn't have your data without his intervention."

"Very true," Beelzemon said, nodding, "In any case, I will send Karatenmon to gather information about this killer. You are free to do as you will until we know who to go after."

Katsu bowed and left the room. He went into his bedroom and laid down, "I need sleep... ugh."

Oukamon nudged him with her nose, "How'd it go?"

"Well. They still don't know," he said quietly.

"So what are you thinking?"

"Hopefully he'll be stalled long enough for me to get rid of these injuries," Katsu said, groaning. He lifted his shirt and studied the deep cuts in his chest and stomach. These wounds were given to him by WarGreymon and Zakk, before he had even met Oukamon. Beelzemon had found him injured in the Digital World, and promised an eventual cure to his wounds. That was, however, considering Beelzemon gained access to the seven data orbs that powered the Administrators. The state he was kept in was painful, but he was alive. That was all that mattered. He would find another way to heal himself, without Beelzemon's help. At least, that was what he had hoped.

"Do you think he has any suspicion at all," Oukamon asked.

"Doubtful. As strong as Beelzemon is, he's not very smart. He's not exactly the ideal 'evil mastermind'. He probably only keeps Karatenmon around so he doesn't _have_ to think."

"I just hope that Karatenmon doesn't get any leads."

"Don't worry about that. I'm going out tomorrow to find anyone who might talk, and terminate them."

Oukamon tilted her head to the side, "You're gonna... kill them?"

"Why not? They're a threat to not only us, but the entire Digital World. If they squeal, Beelzemon will kill me and take Zakk's data. Then he'll be able to attain the level past Mega, which no other Digimon that has ever existed has ever attained. Hell, not even the Digimon Sovereigns have reached that level. Most people say it's impossible, but I know Beelzemon... He'll do whatever it takes to become stronger."

Oukamon sighed, "It's gonna be one hell of a fight, no matter what happens. Even with just six of the seven data patterns, he can probably raise enough hell to wipe this entire continent out..."

"That's why... we need to stall him as much as we can. We leave tomorrow, and we kill anyone who might talk. Then we find some way to heal my wounds, so we can be in top shape."

"Then what?"

"Then we kill Beelzemon. Right under his nose. I'll put a dagger in his back, as Brutus to Caesar."

"Oooh, deep," Oukamon joked, "But let's just focus on resting for now."

"Yeah, you're right," Katsu said. He thought to himself, "Sorry, guys... We might never meet again. And if this plan of mine fails, then you're all doomed."


	24. The Calm Before the Storm

The Calm Before the Storm

It was about six in the morning. Renamon walked out into the hallway that led to the living room. Datamon's lab was half lab, half house, so living there was always quite comfortable. As she walked, Renee came out of her room and bumped into her. They both apologized and stood there for a moment. There was an awkward silence that followed.

Renee finally broke it, "So, he didn't _want_ you to kiss him, huh?"

"What?!"

"Hey, I mean... If he doesn't feel that way, it's a shame. But what are ya gonna do? Better luck next time."

"What exactly are you _referring_ to," Renamon said, lifting her by her collar, "_Little girl_?"

Renee whimpered, "Please don't hurt me..."

Renamon checked around to see if anyone else was awake. The house was silent, so she continued, "I suggest you don't even _try_ for Vincent. He's _mine_."

Renee was shocked by her aggression, "Are you... a really jealous person or something?"

"Does it show?"

"Just a bit."

"Whatever," Renamon said, putting her down, "Just don't get any funny ideas about Vincent."

Renee shrugged, "All's fair in love and war, you know... You can't stop me."

Renamon laughed, "Just you wait and see..."

Renee walked outside, mumbling, "Threaten me, will she... I'll show her."

Eri, who had been sitting outside, turned in her direction, "What's your problem?"

"Renamon."

"What's wrong with her?"

Renee took a melodramatic pose, "She's my rival in love, that's what!"

Eri blinked a few times, and then she fell over laughing, "Oh my god!"

"What?!"

"That's adorable, hilarious and everything in between!"

Renee blushed and pouted, "Stop makin' fun of me..."

Eri wiped her tears away and nodded, still giggling a bit, "Ok, ok. You don't have to act like a little kid."

"It's just how I am."

"Alright, sorry. So, you like Vincent?"

"Yep."

"And so does Renamon."

"You knew?"

"Yep. She told me about it a while ago."

"So what do I do? Renamon's using intimidation, and it's _working_!"

"You can't let her know that," Eri said sitting in the grass, "I know it's hard, especially because of the size difference between you two. You may only be a bit shorter than Vincent, but even he is still two feet shorter than Renamon."

"Yeah, so how can I hide my obvious paralyzing fear?"

Eri laughed. Renee sure was melodramatic. She put her hand on her shoulder, "All you gotta do is stay positive! You weren't scared when you fought us, were you?"

"Are you kidding? I nearly shit myself!"

Eri sighed, "Ok... Well, just don't let it get to you. Renamon's a gentle giant, and wouldn't hurt anyone if they didn't deserve it."

"She sure hits Vincent easily."

"Well, that's _Vincent_. He's the dumbest idiot I've ever met."

"But he's such a sweet dumbest idiot," Renee whined, "Even when I was right there, still an enemy, and Lupimon was ready to kill me, he spared me because of his gentle nature..."

"I'll give you that," Eri said, shrugging. She sighed, "But you know, Renamon wouldn't hurt you... well, not _seriously_ anyway."

"So you're saying I should keep trying?"

Eri suddenly realized what she was instigating, "Uh-- well, not really."

"Quit going around in circles!"

"Well, honestly... I don't know if I should say it..."

"Oh, just say it already. What's on your mind?"

"I kinda like Vincent and Renamon together."

Renee narrowed her eyes and sighed, "Great... You're an amazing help."

"I can't help it! This is, by far, the best example of overcoming racial barriers ever! That and I'm a sucker for cute couples, and honestly... I think Vincent likes Renamon, too."

Renee whined, "I've got no chance at all..."

Eri could not help but feel sorry for her, "Aw, come on... You're only fourteen. You've got your whole life ahead of you."

"I know, but..."

"There's plenty of people who I'm sure would love to be with you for the rest of your life. But you need to wait and see."

"Well, there's probably none right now, seeing as we're practically the only humans left in existence," Renee said with an irritated tone.

Eri laughed half-heartedly, "Um... you've got a point."

"Forget it," Renee said, walking away, "I'll just have to win him over!"

Eri sighed, "What did I do..."

Katsu slammed the man against the wall and pressed his gun into his chest, "I'm glad I finally found you, Adrian. Now I can do what I should have done years ago..."

Adrian, a man with light brown hair and matching eyes, wearing an Administrator uniform, whimpered and shook his head violently, "Katsu, why are you doing this? I thought we got along just fine when we worked together!"

"I'm sorry to say that you simply know too much for my taste."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"My first action against the Administrators. You were there, when I killed Zakk. As a matter of fact, all of your little buddies and your commander were there, too."

"So, what does it mater? Surely you don't find us threatening now that Deus is dead!"

"That is irrelevant. If anyone found out that I was the killer, then the entire world would be cursed with an eternal darkness. For the sake of the Digital World, I will kill you," Katsu said, spinning the gun's barrels.

A gunshot rang out, and Katsu leapt backward. The Administrator commander Alexis Brunhilde stood with his gun pointed at Katsu, "That's quite enough of that. I assure you that that information will not leave our minds."

"And I'm supposed to believe you?"

"Believe us or not. You are outnumbered," Alexis said, motioning all around him. The other members of their squad were hiding amongst the shadows, ready to strike if Katsu made the wrong move.

Katsu spat. Between his humanity and his common sense, he stopped his gun and put it on his back. He started to walk away, "Whatever. Hear this: A Digimon named Karatenmon is looking for that information. If any single one of you spills, I'll kill you all."

After he got far enough away, Oukamon joined him. She nudged him with her nose, "You want me to ensure that they won't squeal?"

"You might be able to seduce people, but you know you can't do anything long term like that. It's alright," Katsu said, allowing a slight smile, "They won't say anything."

"How do you know?"

"Call it a hunch. I knew those guys back when I was hired by the Administrators. They're an alright bunch."

Oukamon noticed his smile, "Nostalgia?"

"Maybe a little. Come on, let's go make use of our time off," he said, letting his past return to the back of his mind.

Renee knocked on Sora's door. When he answered, she put on her most pleading face she could make and said, "Sora... can you help me with something?"

Sora raised an eyebrow, "Sure, kid. What's up?"

"I need some advice."

"It's not about sex, is it?"

"No!"

"Ok, good. Come on in," he said, leading her inside. He sat on the bed and asked, "So, what do you need to know?"

"Well, it's... not quite something I need to know. I just need some advice," Renee said. She paused and then said, "I wanna make Vincent like me."

Sora's eye twitched, "What makes you think that this has _ever_ entered my mind, and that I can help you with it?"

Renee immediately realized the implication she had made, "Oops... I didn't mean like that."

"Well?"

"I meant, what do you look for in a girl?"

Sora sighed, "Not every guy looks for the same things in a girl, Renee. Personally, I look for a girl who can hold her own if I'm not there, just in case something happens. Someone with a strong personality, too."

"What do you think Vincent looks for?"

"If I had to say anything: Huge, furry, abusive and freakishly older than him. But that's just my opinion," he said, snickering. He shook his head, "Seriously, though, I have no idea. I've never asked him, and god knows I probably never will. It's just kinda... weird for guys to talk about stuff like that."

Renee sighed, "Well, thanks anyway."

"Hey, you should ask Eri--"

"Already did. She wasn't very helpful. She thinks Vincent and Renamon should be together."

"Well, I couldn't give less of a rat's ass what Vincent does, so call me the neutral party if you want."

"Alright. Thanks," Renee said, walking out. She pouted a bit, "No one around here can help me."

Patamon came out from their room and sat on her shoulder, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Vincent... My love who doesn't love me," Renee said melodramatically.

"Oh, I see."

"What would you do, Patamon? In my situation, I mean."

"I've never been in your situation," Patamon said, "But if I were you, I'd just keep going for it. What do you have to lose?"

Renee sighed, "But I don't know if I'll _survive_ it..."

"Well it's not like you can just trick him into liking you or something..."

Renee lit up, "Trick him... That's it! Patamon, you're a genius!"

"Wha--"

"Come on, let's go! I know just where to go," Renee said, running out the door. She peeked in quickly and said, "We're going out for a while! Back in a bit!"

Datamon went to stop her, but he gave up, "I was just finishing up dinner..."

Eri sat in the grass outside, letting the wind blow against her face. She let out a long, drawn out sigh and smiled, "Even the atmosphere seems a lot more inviting, now that the Administrators are gone."

Wizardmon, who had joined her earlier, sat up from the grass and nodded, "This is what it was like before their attack."

"It's too bad that the human world can't be like this."

"Well, give it time. I'm sure that it will be eventually."

Eri closed her eyes again, "Not with the way things were going..."

Sora walked outside, with Gatomon sleeping on his shoulder, and saw her. Grinning evilly, he decided to sneak up on her. He quietly inched his way toward her and reached his hands outward. Eri's senses picked him up, and she pressed her kusarigama to his neck, "You've gotta be more careful about that."

Sora laughed, "Sharp as always."

"Yep."

He sat next to her and was silent for a moment. He turned to her and said, "Did you send Renee to ask me for advice?"

"No. Why, did she go to you, too?"

"Yeah."

Wizardmon looked puzzled, "Something wrong with Renee?"

"Boy troubles," Eri laughed, "Vincent in particular."

"I see. Actually I thought I saw her run off a few minutes ago."

"Really? I didn't notice," Eri said, shrugging, "Oh well."

"She was shouting something about an apothecary of sort."

Sora raised an eyebrow, "Apothecary... You mean, like a potion brewer or medicine maker?"

"Yes. It was most peculiar, as I doubt anyone in our group is sick, and no one has complained about feeling unwell."

Gatomon woke up and stretched, "What'd I miss?"

"Renee's actin' weird," Sora said, "Looking for an apothecary."

"I don't know of any around here."

There was a long silence that followed. After a few moments, Eri half-said, half-mumbled, "She _did_ seem awful determined to win Vincent over..."

The others nodded, but only partially understood what she said. Suddenly realization hit her, and Eri shouted, "Wait a minute! Apothecaries brew potions..."

Sora's eyebrows raised, "You don't think..."

"Yeah!"

"She's gonna drug Vincent," Sora said, almost sounding shocked, "I didn't think she was like that."

Gatomon scratched behind her ear, "But where would she find someone who made something like that?"

There was another silence, and Wizardmon suddenly jumped, "I know!"

"You want me to make you a _what_," Witchmon asked Renee, sounding astonished.

"You heard me right! I want you to make me a love potion. I don't care how long it takes, or how much it costs. I need it _really_ badly," Renee said, almost sounding desperate.

"You know, kid, just because I'm a witch, doesn't mean I can just whiz something like that together real easily."

"I knew that, but... I'm willing to pay any price!"

Witchmon shook her head, "Whatever happened to legitimate love these days..."

"It's legitimate! He just needs a little 'push', that's all!"

"That's what they all say... Alright, fine. I'll make it, but it's not cheap by any means."

"I already said it didn't matter," Renee said, reaching into her pockets.

"I didn't even tell you the price yet," Witchmon said, "Are you _that_ desperate?"

"I'm not desperate... Have you ever been in love before?"

"Many years ago... When the plains of the Digital World were devoid of cities, and small town spotted the land like freckles on an otherwise pure woman's face," Witchmon said dreamily. She immediately went back to normal, "But seriously, yeah I have. I just never used any potions to get their attention. When I love, I love fair and square."

Renee was silent. Witchmon shrugged, "You don't need a love potion to make someone love you. Not _really_ love you, anyway."

Renee sighed. She shook her head and said, quite melodramatically, "Oh, you don't know how I feel! I'm paying you to make the potion, and that's it!"

Witchmon sighed and face palmed, "Fine. What a waste of advice that was. Seven hundred tokens."

"Seven hund--... Oh, who cares! Here," Renee said, handing her the money.

Witchmon took the money and put it in a lockbox behind her desk, "I'm glad I had this desk built here... Maybe I'll turn this into a big business someday. Anyway, this'll take about an hour. You can do whatever you want until then, _except_ bother me. You don't want your 'lover' exploding into confetti, and _I_ don't want the lawsuit, 'kay?"

"Gotcha, boss," Renee said happily, "Thank you oh-so-much! You're really helping to balance this whole thing out. Honestly, the odd were extremely against me in this case."

"Really," Witchmon asked, setting vials down on her work table and searching her shelves for the correct ingredients, "Why, the other girl really hot or nice?"

"I wouldn't know the first one, first of all," Renee said, giving her an odd look, "She's nice to him _most_ of the time. She hits him a lot, though. Then again, he _is_ kind of an idiot."

"Ah, I see. He cute," Witchmon asked, leaning over the counter.

Renee blushed and clasped her hands together dreamily, "You'd better believe it..."

"That's not the _only_ reason, right?"

"Oh, no, of course not! He had the perfect chance to kill me and be rid of me forever, but he chose to let me live. Twice, actually."

Witchmon raised an eyebrow, "Why would he kill you?"

Renee blinked a few times, "You don't recognize me? I was an Administrator once."

Witchmon was silent for a moment, but it suddenly occurred to her, "Renee Zaibet... I heard you were beaten, but I didn't know they let you live-- Wait a second... The boy you like..."

"Vincent. Why, you know him?"

Witchmon went a bit pale, "Uh oh."

"Uh oh? Uh oh is bad! What's uh oh?"

"Yeah, I know him... I'm his partner's best friend."

Renee's hope crashed and burned, "You're kidding..."

Witchmon sighed, "I can't refuse a sale unless you ask... Store policy. I keep my word, no matter what."

"Whew..."

Witchmon shrugged, "Well, that won't stop me from telling her."

"Go right ahead," Renee said plainly, "I'll find a way to sneak it."

"Suit yourself," Witchmon said, getting to work, "Don't bore yourself sittin' around here. Go out and occupy yourself for an hour."

Renee seemed reluctant to leave. Witchmon smiled at her, "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. Trust me."

Renee sighed and nodded, "Ok. I'll hold you to that."

"You have my word."

Renee walked out the door, shouting a thank you to her as she left. She sighed and called into the air, "Alright, I'm back."

Patamon came off of the roof and landed on her head, "That was fast. You done already?"

"No, she needs about an hour. Let's go find something fun to do!"

Patamon smiled, "There's a carnival in town that I saw while I was on the roof. Want to go there?"

"Sounds good to me!"

Meanwhile, a few minutes closer to the city...

"What do you want," Sora asked, reaching for his sword.

Karatenmon raised his hands in defense, "My, my... What gives with the violence? I am simply here to ask a question."

"You sure act quickly," Eri said, "Suspiciously quickly."

"Oh, forgive my rudeness. I am Karatenmon. It is an unparalleled pleasure," Karatenmon said, bowing to them.

"Something about this guy stinks, and it's not just his feathers," Gatomon said aggressively.

"I have seen you around in many places, and I heard from the rumors circulating around the world that you are the ones who defeated the Administrators. Tell me, did you happen to ask Deus about the murder of his former second-in-command?"

"Who wants to know," Wizardmon asked.

"I do, of course. No one but myself. Answer, and I will simply be on my way."

"And if we don't?"

"Well, then I will persist. I must acquire this information, as the one who committed the assassination could very well have the most powerful data in the entire Digital World."

Eri looked to Sora, and he returned her look of suspicion. They seemed unsure as to whether or not they should answer. However, a few feet away from them...

Commander Brunhilde and his squad hid behind a boulder formation, listening to their conversation. Adrian turned to his boss and said, "Isn't that the Digimon Katsu told us about?"

"Yes," Alexis said with a nod, "Karatenmon."

"What should we do," a spiky red-haired man asked him, "If they spill, Katsu will think--"

"Then we do what is right, and attack!"

"What?! You're insane, commander!"

Alexis took a melodramatic pose, "I may be insane, but I am _still_ your commanding officer! We must attack, for the sake of the entire Digital World!"

"That coming from someone who used to turn Digimon into slaves..."

"Oh shut up and attack!"

The entire squad leapt out and landed behind Karatenmon, "Halt!"

Karatenmon turned around, a bored expression on his face, "What the hell is this..?"

The entire group lined up in a strange group-pose. Adrian took the far left, "Adrian Lockhart!"

A short brown haired man with a large sword strapped to his back took the far right, "Travis LeBlanc!"

The spiky red haired man took a position next to Adrian, "Adamska Ivanov!"

A long silver haired man leapt in and took a place next to Travis, "Kouta Sakamoto!"

Alexis took the center of the group and struck yet another dramatic pose, "Alexis Brunhilde! We are..."

They all shouted in unison, "Administrator Squad Seven: The Ballad of Doom!"

Eri could not believe what she had just witnessed, "Sora... Tell me this isn't real."

Sora was equally confused, "No, Eri... Unfortunately, it's as real as real gets."

Gatomon looked at Wizardmon, "You ever seen them before?"

"No," Wizardmon said, "It's embarrassing to _watch_ them. It must be horrible for them to actually _do _that."

Travis turned to Alexis, still in his pose, "Boss, this is _humiliating_ every time! Why do we have to do this?!"

"You're in my squad, then you must be _proud_ of it!"

"I'd be more proud of our squad if it didn't look like a bunch of _clowns_ making a surprise entrance to a _kid's party_!"

"You know what happens to those who insult the squad, do you not," Alexis asked, with a noticeable threatening tone.

Travis immediately fixed his pose, "Sorry, boss!"

"Hey," Kouta said, "We're keeping Big Bird waiting."

Karatenmon flared, "_Big Bird_?! How dare you!"

"Well, boys... Let's get to work," Alexis said, pointing at Karatenmon, "Silence him!"

The squad advanced on Karatenmon. Alexis drew his gun and began to fire.

Karatenmon drew his swords and began to deflect the bullets. However, he did not expect Travis to appear behind him. He dodged just as the huge sword came down on him, "Damn, these guys sure don't bull shit..."

Kouta reached into his sleeve and pulled out two kama blades, sickle weapons originally used by ninjas. He joined the battle, swinging the blades with an almost unimaginable grace, "My blades will dance about your body, painting a beautiful portrait across the land with your very life blood."

Karatenmon could not help but feel creeped out, "You are one fucked up individual..."

Adrian materialized his weapon (as he kept it in data storage due to its size): A large battleaxe with flames kissing its surface constantly. He joined the fight, swinging the monstrous weapon, which sung a white-hot melody as it sliced through the air.

Karatenmon was actually having trouble with them, and his patience were growing thin, "I'm going to counterattack if this does not end. You have been warned!"

Adamska's weapons materialized on his hands. He wielded two claw-like gloves that glowed with plasma energy. He grinned and ran toward Karatenmon, "Let's see if you can handle all of us at once!"

Karatenmon had finally had enough. He flapped his wings hard, sending razor sharp projectiles everywhere, "Ballistic Feathers!"

The human attackers backed off and landed together. Alexis stretched his arm forward, "May we attack as one!"

The others did the same, and they began to feed data into Alexis' palm. As they did this, a ball of energy formed and grey to an impressive size. He fired it at Karatenmon, "Ballad of Doom!"

Karatenmon could not avoid the attack, for it was simply too fast. He was engulfed in it, and the resulting explosion obscured all signs of him. When the light faded, however, they saw Karatenmon still standing. Regardless of that, however, he was quite injured. He spread his wings and took to the sky, "I will see to it that you are all killed!"

"Let that be a lesson to you: When faced with the Ballad of Doom, flee in terror or be destroyed," Alexis said proudly.

"Um," Sora said, "I don't know who you guys are, but... Thanks?"

"What do you mean? Surely you remember me," Alexis said, "Faked brave new recruit!"

"Oh... You're that guy."

"Alexis Brunhilde, and the man who just saved your life, mind you!"

Adamska sighed, "We're the ones who did most of the work..."

"It can't be helped," Kouta said, "He's the commander. All the glory goes to him."

"Yeah, and _normally_ so would all the faults," Travis said with noticeable disdain.

"Oh shut up," Alexis shouted.

"So who are you guys, anyway," Eri asked.

They all struck their signature pose again, "Administrator Squad Seven: The Ballad--"

"No, I know that already," she said with an annoyed tone, "I mean, _who_ are you?"

Kouta immediately approached her and took her hands in his, "My name is Kouta Sakamoto. It is an unequalled pleasure to make your acquaintance, mon chéri."

Eri blushed and stuttered, "Um... I, uh..."

Adrian hit him on the head, "You're _Asian_, not French. Act it."

"Just because you Americans choose to not learn a second, or even third, language, doesn't mean everyone will follow suit, mon ami."

Adrian sighed, "Whatever. You're such a big loser."

"I make women swoon from my very words. Tell me, again, who is the loser."

Adrian pretended to think, and then said, "Still you."

Eri pushed Kouta's hands back to him, "Sorry, but I'm not the 'swoon' type. I prefer to be on top, if you catch my drift."

Travis whistled, "Denied!"

Kouta simply smiled, "As you wish, my dear. However, if you are ever in need of an ear to listen, a shoulder on which to cry, or a pillar of strength on which to rest, remember the name... Sakamoto Kouta."

"You're worse than the boss," Adamska said, "By a long shot."

Alexis cleared his throat, "Well then, gentlemen. We should be off."

Sora crossed his arms, "Wait a second, why did you guys help us?"

"Well, I'm sure you know of Katsu."

"How do you figure?"

"I had a feeling. You are all Tamers, and he is one. You all tend to congregate at some point or another. In any case, he... requested... that we keep his secret clear from this Karatenmon. We did not so much save you as we kept the secret safe."  
"I see," Sora said, shrugging, "No problem there. Thanks."

"You are welcome. I would like to have it known that our squad harbors no ill will toward you. Now that the Administrators are gone, we can finally think for ourselves... We knew the weight of our sins long before you Tamers stood to oppose us. We were all just too afraid of leaving. We feared for our lives, and our families. As you can see, not even our loyalties were enough to protect them," Alexis said, letting his head tilt forward a bit.

"I see... I'm--"

"No, don't say it. I'm sure you have lost a great deal as well. I think it's safe to assume that our sympathies are mutual."

Sora nodded, "Yeah, you're right."

It had become apparent to him that most of the Administrators weren't such bad people after all. He actually felt sorry for them.

Alexis cleared his throat and addressed his men, "Gentlemen, we should go. We will track down this Karatenmon and destroy him before he can find the information he seeks!"

The other men complied and started to leave with him. Kouta looked back at Eri and smiled, but Adrian smacked him in the head and said something along the lines of, "Let's go, dumb ass."

Sora watched them go, "A nice bunch. Wouldn't ever have known it, had Deus still been alive."

"You're telling me," Gatomon said, "I guess people are people, no matter who they work for."

Wizardmon nodded, "Indeed. What do you think, Eri?"

"Me? Well," Eri said, shrugging, "Administrator or not, that guy sure was a charmer."

Everyone else face palmed.


	25. Lovesick

Lovesick

Renee sat in her room, staring at the bottle in her hand. She found it hard to believe that Witchmon had actually agreed to make such an item, but there it was, real as can be.

"I don't think she'd play a trick on me... Not after I paid her," Renee thought. She shook her head, "Nah, this is genuine. It'll work. It _has_ to. Or I'm getting a refund."

"All you have to do is dump it on him. He doesn't have to drink it or anything," Witchmon had said, "That's the lovely thing about magic."

"This should be easy," Renee grinned.

"Say Katsu," Lupimon said, "I wonder how those Tamers are doing."

Katsu thought for a moment and said, "I _did_ kind of ask Eri if I could talk to her..."

"Wanna pay them a visit?"

"Sounds good to me. It sure beats walking aimlessly," he said, stopping to check his Digivice for directions. He had mapped Datamon's lab, so he quickly found his bearing, "You're gonna be bored, though."

"I'll snoop around," Lupimon said, grinning.

"You sure you won't get captured and 'tortured' again," Katsu asked, trying to hide his laughter.

Oukamon turned red, "Yes I'm sure, now stop it!"

Sora nearly tripped as he ran with Gatomon, Eri and Wizardmon back to the lab, "I can't believe she'd actually go this far!"

"She's only a kid," Eri said between breaths, "She doesn't know much better! Besides, desperation can do a lot to someone!"

"But a freaking _love potion_?! That's what angsty teens who think they're witches do when their crush blows them off!"

"Well you're kind of right on that case," Gatomon snickered.

"This is serious!"

"Seriously funny."

"Oh, forget it, just hold on!"

They had nearly reached the lab when Eri spotted someone at the door, "Hey, that's..."

Katsu noticed them running toward him and looked a bit nervous, "Whoa, hey... I didn't do anything yet."

They stopped and tried to catch their breath. Eri finally did so and said, "Katsu... Why are you here..?"

"I... came to talk to you, actually. We said we would, remember?"

"Oh... That's right, we did."

Sora cleared his throat, "Not to interrupt, but we've got a _problem_. Remember?"

"Ah, right! Sorry, Katsu, just hold on a few minutes," Eri said, running inside.

Sora followed her, "We'll be with you in a second!"

Katsu scratched the back of his head, "Did I... miss something?"

Wizardmon, who had stayed to entertain him until they got back, sighed, "Renee is being... unreasonable."

"Oh, right. The brat. How's she doing anyway?"

"Desperate."

Katsu raised an eyebrow, "About?"

"Vincent."

"You're kidding..."

"Unfortunately, no. She's had a friend of ours brew up a love potion, and plans to use it on him."

Katsu was flabbergasted, "Of all the..."

"I know. Ridiculous."

Eri banged on Renee's bedroom door, "Renee? Renee! I know what you plan to do, and it's _crazy_! Not only that, but it's immoral to change someone like that!"

Sora came up from behind her, "You want me to break it down?"

"Let me try and reason with her first. If I can't, then by all means. We'll fix it."

"Alright, but don't take too long."

Renee had heard her, but she had no intentions of listening, "Gotta get out of here..."

She opened her window and slipped as she went to climb out, landing in the arms of a surprised Lupimon. Renee was unsure as to what had happened at first, "Wha?"

Lupimon blinked a few times, "Hey kid... where ya goin'?"

"Um... Nowhere?"

"Hey, I remember you," Lupimon said, grinning evilly, "You're the kid who pissed me off..."

"Oops..."

"Oops is right," Lupimon said, but her expression went from vengeful to quizzical as she felt something drip onto her skin, "What the..."

"What?"

Lupimon's eyes seemed to dull for a moment. After a few seconds they returned to normal, and she looked down at Renee with a sly smile on her face, "Well now... This is interesting..."

Renee blinked a few times, "Wha..?"

Lupimon brought Renee closer to her face, "Renee... Have I ever told you how absolutely adorable you are?"

Renee's face turned red, "Um... Not that I can remember..."

"Want me to _show_ you?"

Renee kicked her way free and started to run, "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Lupimon immediately gave chase, "Oh, hard to get. I like."

Renee ran as fast as she could, melodramatic tears streaming down her face, "Lupimon, if this is some sick way of getting me back, please just stop it and _beat_ me!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lupimon said, jumping in front of her.

Renee screeched to a halt and started to run the other way, "Dammit, no!"

Lupimon smiled and continued the chase, "You do realize that I'm just letting you stay ahead of me, right? I can catch you at any time."

The very idea terrified Renee, "Leave me aloooooone! I didn't do anything to deserve this!"

"Too bad for you," Lupimon said in a sing-song voice.

"Somebody help meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Eri sighed when she saw the empty room, "She got away..."

Sora shook his head, "At least she's away from Vincent."

"Who's away from me," Vincent asked. He had been standing behind them the whole time, "Who's after me?"

Eri turned, startled, "How long were you here?"

"Pretty much the whole time you were talking to Renee's door."

"I wasn't talking to the door," Eri said, her eye twitching, "As a matter of fact, I was saving _your_ ass, or at least _trying_ to."

"Me? How?"

They explained the situation to him as quickly as they could. Not that much could be said about it. Vincent took it much better than they had thought he would.

"I'm gonna kill her," he simply put, "I'm gonna cut her open like a UPS box and dump her innards on the floor."

"Imagine what Renamon's gonna say," Sora joked, though he kind of meant it.

"Do you even _want to_ tell her? She'll probably kill whoever_tells_ her first!"

Renamon stepped into the hallway, arms crossed and eyes narrowed, "Who did_what_? Tell me. _Now_."

Sora and Eri moved to the side, leaving Vincent the horrifying responsibility. He sighed, "Thanks a lot, guys..."

Renamon walked over to Vincent, knelt down to his level, and smiled, "Vincent, do you really think I'd hurt you?"

"No, of course no--"

Her expression darkened, "_Unless_, of course, the person who has committed the crime is _you_."

"No, it wasn't me!"

"Then tell me who it was, dearest," she said, sweetening up again.

Vincent would have commented on how adorable that smile was, but he had to tell her before she got impatient. Besides, if he had made an off-subject comment, she would probably assume he was dodging the question. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Renee."

"And what did she do?"

Vincent tried to find the best words for the situation, "Apparently she paid Witch--"

A gust of wind blew, and a piece of paper flew in through an open window, landing in front of Renamon. She picked it up and read:

Renamon! Sorry if this comes too late (damn storm, coming in at a time like this D ), but this is urgent! Renee is going to try and use a love potion on Vincent! I know it was wrong of me to make it, but I didn't know until I had already agreed (story policy, sorry). I'm SO SORRY about this! Whatever it takes, don't let her near Vincent! I'm in the process of brewing an anti-potion that will negate the effects completely (free of charge, of course), to make up for all this. I'll deliver it personally when it's finished. I hate to say, but it might take all of tonight and some of tomorrow, so try and find a place to hide Vincent.

With many apologies,

Witchmon

P.S.: If you can, knock the damn thing out of her hand. I'll refund her, don't worry.

Renamon's eyes seemed to ignite. She snarled and crushed the letter in her hand, "That little bitch! I'll rip out her sphincter! Then she can pull all the bull shit she wants-- out of her _own_ ass!"

Vincent tried to calm her down, "Renamon, wait! Don't do anything rash!"

Renamon swooped Vincent into her arms and said, "Don't you worry, Vincent... I won't let anything happen to you."

"Wow, talk about role-reversal," Eri said, snickering.

"Oh, shut up," Vincent shouted, "Renamon, wait! Where are we going?"

Renamon leapt out the window and stood there for a second, "_You_ are going to hide. _I_ am going to kill Renee!"

"You shouldn't joke about things like that..."

"Who's joking?!"

Vincent cringed, "Please don't kill her... I know you just want to protect me, and I know she's trying to do something bad... But please, just beat her up."

Renamon realized that she was being too aggressive and sighed, "You're right... I don't want to kill her. I want to stop her."

"Good."

They heard what sounded like a little girl screaming, and soon they saw Renee running toward them. Renamon immediately took a defensive stance, "Bitch! Stay away!"

"Tell that to her," Renee shouted, running past them.

Renamon and Vincent exchanged confused glances, and then Lupimon ran by, shouting, "Come back, my little pretty! I'll make a woman out of you, yet!"

Vincent coughed, "Say what?!"

It took a moment, but Renamon quickly realized what had happened. She started to laugh hysterically, "Oh my god, this is perfect!"

"What?"

"Renee must have accidentally put the potion on Lupimon!"

Katsu had heard them and tried not to snicker, "Wait a second..."

"Hey," Vincent said, "When'd you get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago. I'm waiting for Eri."

As if on cue, Eri came outside, "Sorry, Katsu. Didn't mean to make you wait-- Huh? What's she laughing at?"

"Apparently," Katsu said, now noticeably laughing, "Renee put the love potion on Lupimon by accident."

Eri did not try to hide her laughter, "Well it sure showed her!"

"Well as funny as it is, we'll need to stop Lupimon. She and I kind of need to travel together."

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry, Witchmon's making an antidote. It should be ready tomorrow."

"I wonder if Renee will last that long," Vincent thought.

Renee ran through the woods, weaving through trees and bushes and whatever else barred her path. She could not understand why Lupimon would not leave her alone, but she was not about to stop and ask her. She took cover behind a boulder to catch her breath, "G-God dammit... Why couldn't she just break my arm or something? That would be much better than this."

A deep feminine voice came from behind her, "Oh, but my dear... Why would I do that?"

Renee's face went pale, "Oh god..."

Lupimon grinned and went to grab her, "We're gonna have some fun!"

"No we're not," Renee screamed, pushing away from her and running away again. It was obviously going to be a long day for her.

Eri and Katsu sat in the living room, making small talk as they had intended. They seemed to click quite well with one another, and Eri was beginning to wonder why he was such a villain in the first place. Although they were getting along well, one question still plagued her mind. She decided that now would be the best time to ask him, "Katsu... What did you do with the data you gathered from the Administrators?"

Katsu was silent. He did not have any easy way of shrugging her off, so he decided to do the next best thing. He stood and said, "Come with me. I can't say this around a lot of people."

He led her to a wooded area with a clearing in the middle. There were huge claw marks in the ground and boulders that stood in the clearing. It was clear that there had been an intense battle there.

Katsu sat on one of the boulders and pointed to the claw marks, "WarGreymon. The original. Tai's WarGreymon made those marks..."

Eri nodded, "I see... but why--"

"He also made... these injuries," Katsu said, lifting his shirt. Deep gashes went across his chest; injuries that looked like they should have killed him. Eri also saw bullet holes, but she could not understand where they came from.

Eri gasped, "What... How are you still alive?"

"That's the thing... The one who keeps me alive is my employer. He is the one who seeks to enslave the Digital World. He is a Digimon named Beelzemon. I've worked for him ever since I left the Administrators. The thing is... he's kept me alive so that I would collect the Administrator data, and protect him until he could use it," Katsu said, closing his hands into fists, "I'm sick of being used. I'll either find a way to heal my injuries, or die when Beelzemon's influence over them fades. Either way, I plan to destroy him."

Eri was confused, "Why didn't you tell us that?"

"Because you'd all just get in the way. I have a plan to stop him. I'll kill him behind his back, so you guys don't have to get involved. As long as he doesn't have the final Administrator data, he won't proceed with his attack."

"Then... why tell me?"

"Because," Katsu said, now looking directly at her, "I figured someone should know... so you can tell them once I'm dead. You'll all probably have to kill me."

"Why?"

"Because he'll make me fight you."

Eri shouted, "You don't have to fight us! Let us help you, Katsu! We'll heal your wounds _and_ help you get rid of Beelzemon! You don't have to do this alone... That's what being a Tamer is all about."

Katsu was silent for a moment. He turned away and said, "It'd be better if I didn't exist. I've committed too many sins to be forgiven now."

"Sins are always forgiven if you wish for it. Come on, Katsu," Eri said, grabbing his arm, "Please... don't fight me on this. You know I'm right."

"I..."

"I promise we'll do our best to help you. Please, join us. You're a great fighter, and such a good person at heart... You don't deserve to be in the palm of such a monster's hand! You deserve so much better! Don't you want to be your own person again? To live your own life, the way you want to? It's not too late to break free..."

Katsu thought for a moment. His own life. His own person. These things sounded so alien to him. He had been taking orders for so long, he had forgotten about such things until then.

Eri interrupted his thoughts, "I've sinned, too. I've been cursed, just like you. But we have to empower ourselves to get over those curses, and to put those sins behind us. You have the strength. I know you do. You just need to find it again."

Katsu was silent. Eri's words sank in deep, as if they had belonged there in his heart all along. He did not want to endanger the others, but he knew that this was the right thing to do. He nodded, "How can you heal my wounds?"

"Reneeeeeeeeeeee! Come out, come out wherever you are! Puppy wants to plaaaaaaaaay," Lupimon called, searching the woods for the terrified girl.

Renee was high up in a tree, holding onto the strong branches to support herself. She snarled as Lupimon's taunting voice reached her ears, "Dammit, why does every lesbo that I know come out to me! Not just come _out_ to me, they come _on_ to me! This is the worst day ever..."

Suddenly the tree shook violently, and Renee began to fall, screaming the entire way down. She was caught in the tender embrace of Lupimon, who still had the same sly smile on her face.

The wolf girl held Renee tightly and said, "Looks like I found you..."

Renee struggled, but she could not break free, "Please, if this is all just revenge then just beat the shit out of me and stop this!"

"Revenge? For what?"

"You mean it's not..? That's even worse!"

"I don't know what it is," Lupimon said, leaning in closer, "But you're just suddenly so much more lovable..."

"Oh, god help me..."

"What? You're acting like I'm gonna do something horrible to you."

"Well, what _are_ you gonna do?"

Lupimon leaned in even closer, "Well now, close your eyes and I'll show you..."

Renee quickly turned away as her face was covered in kisses, "WHAAAAAA! Let go of me, you dyke! I swear I'll kill you if you don't stop!"

"Aww, you wouldn't really do that, now would you," Lupimon asked, making direct eye contact with her.

Renee started to blank out for a moment, but she quickly shook her head and turned away, "Ah, no, no, no, no, no! No tricks, no kisses, no snuggles, no raping, no fucking wolf girl dyke wanting me! I'm out of here!"

She placed her hand on Lupimon's leg, absorbing the data from it. Lupimon, however, took it differently, "Oh, so you want to take it that far already?"

"Fuck off," Renee said, kicking free with her new leg strength and running away as fast as she could. She had to find a place where Lupimon could not find her. She decided to run to the nearest Focus Tower, where Administrator Charles used to reside. She figured that the multiple scents of the area would keep Lupimon confused. Then she got an idea: Clog up Lupimon's scent, and it would be harder for her to track her. She knew just what data she needed for the job...

"Well, sun's going down," Vincent said, stretching, "Renee's got a little more time of running before we have to end it."

"Personally, I wish it wouldn't end," Renamon said, "Insensitive little whelp."

"Yeah, I know... I'm not too happy with it either, but still... She's definitely learned her lesson by now."

Renamon snickered inwardly, "Oh, I'm sure she has."

There was a short silence. Vincent sighed, "You're still gonna hit her, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"Renamon..."

"Aren't you?"

Vincent smiled sheepishly, "Not hard."

Renamon grabbed him in a headlock and began to noogie him, "See? I'm not the only one!"

Vincent struggled to escape, "Ah, hey! The hair!"

"Oh, am I messing it up? What _ever_ will you do to fix it?"

"I'll comb it, that's what!"

Renamon pinned him to the couch, "Really? If you can't move then what will you do?"

Vincent's face went red, "R-Renamon--"

She put her finger to his lips, "Shh. Don't talk. Just relax."

Vincent tried to speak, but he was paralyzed with shock. Renamon leaned in closer and closed her eyes--

Suddenly the door opened, and Eri's voice was heard, "Hey guys, we're back!"

Renamon jumped and stood, "Hey!"

Eri raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing! You startled me, that's all."

"You're not usually this jumpy," Eri said, leaning to the side to see behind Renamon, "What gives?"

"Nothing," Renamon said, leaning in sync with her, "I was half asleep."

From behind her, Katsu's voice said, "Hey, Vincent. How's it going?"

Renamon cringed. How had he snuck by her? She smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of her head, "I was, uh..."

Vincent was still red-faced, "Hey, Katsu... What are you doing here?"

"Eri said you guys can help me with a little problem," Katsu said, "And there's some information I think you guys might like, in return."

"Really? About what?"

Eri grabbed Renamon's paw and pulled her into the other room, "That can wait until tomorrow. Talk to Vincent about your wounds. I have to ask Renny-poo here something real quick."

Renamon went along, though somewhat unwillingly, "Wha-- Wait!"

Vincent snickered, "Renny-poo..."

"Shut up! If you ever call me that I swear I'll tickle you to death!"

As they disappeared into the doorway, Katsu asked, "Was that supposed to be a threat?"

"In her own kind of way," Vincent said, smiling, "Now, what about injuries?"

"Well... It's kind of a long story," Katsu said, sitting across from him, "The whole thing started back when I was working for the Administrators..."


	26. The Curse I Gave Myself

The Curse I Gave Myself

_Server Continent, one year ago..._

An explosion rocked the building. The tenth floor window of the apartment complex in Highton View Terrace burst into flame-- a human man and an orange lizard-like Digimon leaping down the fire escape to avoid the blast. A few seconds later, Gatomon followed them, nursing a burn wound on her tail. The man held a younger woman in his arms, trying to find a place to hide, "Kari, wake up! We're being attacked!"

The girl, Kari, opened her eyes, beads of sweat covering her forehead, "Tai... What's going o-- unh..."

"Kari! Stay with me!"

The lizard Digimon, Agumon, looked worried, "Her pneumonia... Is it getting worse?"

"The stress... It's effecting her."

The sound of heavy boots walking across the floor alerted them. Tai reached into his pocket and produced his Digivice, "What a Christmas season this is... Glad I was here visiting. Agumon, let's find this guy and show him what we're made of!"

Katsu walked into view down below, "Well, well... The strongest of the Digi Destined, Tai Kamiya. Set your sister down. I'm dealing with you first."

Tai hesitated, but he placed Kari on the fire escape landing, Gatomon guarding her closely. Tai jumped to the ground below, his Digimon partner following shortly after.

Katsu smiled and extended his left arm outward; a metal gauntlet covered his hand. With a flick of his wrist, a foot-long blade extended from the back of the hand guard. He let his arm fall back at his side, "You're confident you can defeat me without your friends?"

"That's more than I could say about you and your explosives," Tai said, an obvious snarl in his voice. He turned to Agumon, "You ready, buddy?"

Agumon nodded, "As I'll ever be."

Tai held out his Digivice, "Then let's show this punk who he's dealing with!"

Agumon began to shine, and his Digivolution began, "Agumon Warp Digivolves to... WarGreymon!"

The familiar metal dinosaur Digimon stood ready, "You're gonna regret what you did to the others!"

Katsu chuckled, "Really now? That's what the second, third and so on said. But now they're all dead. I doubt you'll change much, lizard."

Tai growled, "Tear him apart, WarGreymon!"

WarGreymon activated his thrusters and leapt at him, "Mega Claw!"

There was a sound of metal colliding, and the force from WarGreymon's thrusters began to push Katsu back. Katsu would not be so easily dealt with, however. He diverted the energy to the side and used his right hand, clad in a metal gauntlet as well, to punch WarGreymon into a building.

WarGreymon recovered and attacked again, throwing Katsu back. He followed and drove his Dramon destroyers into the ground, barely missing Katsu's head, "You will not survive this encounter!"

Katsu growled and forced him off, slicing open his chest armor, "We'll see about that!"

WarGreymon staggered backward and cringed, but the wound would not be enough to stop him. He assaulted Katsu with claw attacks, unable to use his energy attacks in such a highly populated area.

Katsu laughed as he took the offensive, "What's the matter, big guy? What happened to the big, strong Digimon I wanted the pleasure of killing? Show me your full potential!"

WarGreymon was getting angry. He looked back at Tai for advice. His partner looked torn, but he gave him a confident nod. WarGreymon went at Katsu again, this time launching him into the air. He gathered as much energy as he could, gathered it into a ball, and hurled it at Katsu, "Gaia Force!"

The ball of energy hit Katsu, sending him flying into a building down the street. He was hurt, and was not sure he could continue the fight. WarGreymon was much stronger than he had thought. He pointed his hand out in front of him and opened a portal to the Digital World, and quickly passed through it. The portal was closing slowly.

Tai and WarGreymon followed him in, reopening the portal as they went through. It began to close again, and Gatomon seemed worried about them.

Kari said, almost in a whisper, "Gatomon..."

The cat Digimon's ears perked up and she turned to her, "Kari, are you alright?"

"Gatomon... They're not coming back. We're all doomed."

"No, Kari, don't--"

There was another explosion. The apartment complex next to them began to crumble. A large piece of debris fell their way, and Gatomon spotted it. Putting all self preservation aside, she threw herself over Kari, punching the debris away. However, there was too much falling onto them. She could not punch them fast enough. Gatomon covered Kari as best as she could, and they were covered in the rubble of the building.

Explosions rocked the woods that Katsu had emerged in. WarGreymon was now using his full potential to destroy him, and his anger was making him even stronger. Katsu figured that if he did not get on the offensive, he would die. He turned around and faced his opponent. They both charged at each other, metal clashing against metal and flesh tearing as armor was destroyed.

Katsu grit his teeth together as he struck, "You're beginning to annoy me, you overgrown iguana..."

"Your arrogance will lead to your end, human," WarGreymon snarled, charging another Gaia Force.

Right as the attack was about to form, Katsu forced WarGreymon's hands into the ground, causing it to erupt beneath them. Katsu took the opportunity to escape WarGreymon and head straight for Tai. The Digi Destined man had no time to react. Katsu's wrist blade was embedded in his chest.

Tai, still in shock, looked down at his wound, "Wha..."

Any form of reluctance WarGreymon had disappeared. He charged at Katsu, his Dramon destroyer ready for the kill. Just in time, Katsu turned around and counterattacked with his own blade.

There was a deadly silence. WarGreymon's chest armor fell apart, and strands of data began to pour from his open wound. At the same time, Tai was beginning to grasp what had happened to him. At the same time, both human and Digimon partner collapsed.

The metal in Katsu's wrist blade splintered and cracked. With a loud clanking sound, the blade and gauntlet shattered. Katsu's chest exploded with blood, three huge slash marks running across his front side. He cringed from the pain, "Dammit..."

WarGreymon let out a long sigh, "Do you really think that what you're doing is right, human? You're only making things worse for both the Digital World and the human world alike."

Katsu frowned, "Oh really? All you Digi-Destined ever did was make things worse. Without you, evil Digimon will have no reason to seek greater power. The Administrators will take care of things from here on."

"Do you truly and honestly believe that?"

Before Katsu could answer, a voice came from over his radio, "Katsu… I've made a discovery. You're not going to like it…"

It was the voice of Zakk, his commanding officer. The voice continued, "I'm coming to you now. Please, stay where you are."

WarGreymon laughed and coughed, "Another one of you? You apparently don't need another man to finish me off. So do it. My partner is dead. I have… nothing else to live for."

A dark-robed man approached them. He took off the hood, revealing himself to be Zakk. The spiky-haired man smiled at Katsu, "Hey there… buddy. Got a minute?"

Katsu's brow furrowed, "What is this about, commander?"

"Please… don't call me that anymore. Soon I won't be more than a traitor," Zakk said, walking over to WarGreymon. He reached into his pocket and produced a large metal tube. He opened it, revealing a glowing white orb of data. He handed it to WarGreymon, "Here. A relic from a time long forgotten. It will change you, but you will not die. Think of it as my parting gift to this world."

Katsu growled, "Zakk, what are you doing? Master Deus specifically ordered that every Digi Destined human and Digimon are to be--"

"I_know_ what Deus said, Katsu. I'm here so you can decide something for me," Zakk said, reaching over his back. He pulled his huge double Vulcan gun off its strap and let it rest on the ground, "I've sinned. Too much for me to bear, I'm afraid. I know that the Administrators have done a lot of horrible things to the Digital World, and that Digimon are living, breathing things, just like humans. But I'm in this whole thing too deep right now… I don't know what Deus is planning to do, but something catastrophic is going to happen to both the human and Digital world. I'm asking you… to kill me, Katsu."

Katsu's eyes widened, "But Zakk…"

"Kill me… or die. If you succeed, then I am worthy of ceasing my own crimes against our worlds. And if you fail… then I will know for sure that I am doomed to a life of corruption. I learned today, that I am unable to decide my own fate. So please, Katsu… my friend… take my life, or give me yours."

There was a long silence between the two. Katsu shut his eyes and sighed, "Zakk… What about Renee?"

"She has to find out on her own time. If we tell her now, she will be in shock, and Deus will likely terminate her."

"Why must I kill you? If you realize your sins, then just stop right now!"

"If I could, then I most certainly would. Katsu, I am asking you to kill me because there is no forgiving what I have done. The outcome only decides whether or not I continue such atrocities. The choice is no longer ours, my friend. It belongs now to fate, and fate alone."

Katsu grunted. Zakk was always a stubborn person, but this was going too far. He could not understand why it had to come down to one of them dying, but Zakk was not going to give him the chance to ponder it. He watched as his friend lifted his giant weapon to its ready position. Katsu spat and stood ready, "Well then... If that's how it has to be, then so be it. Just to let you know, I'm not going back to tell them what happened."

"I don't want you to go back to them," Zakk said, spinning the barrels on his gun, "The Administrators are evil. If you can, go back to the real world and warn everyone."

"I can't see why you won't let me go and do that now, but whatever. Defend yourself, Zakk," Katsu shouted, charging at his friend with his fist drawn back.

Zakk pulled the triggers on his gun and started firing, "We are both mere instruments of fate now, Katsu. If you are unable to stop the Administrators, then it was meant to be. Your victory, or your defeat, will shape both worlds the way they were meant to be shaped."

Katsu held his gauntlet out in front of him, bullets whizzing by and bouncing off his armor, "I don't want to let fate shape my life! I won't! You might not be able to shape your own destiny, but I can, and I will!"

Zakk saw that he was getting closer, so he readied himself for a melee fight. Katsu took a few shots in his chest and legs before he got close enough to strike. As he threw his punch, Zakk dropped his Vulcan and dodged to the side. He reached into his cloak and pulled out two handguns, "Well now, things are getting dicey."

Katsu attacked again, "Always had a pocket ace, haven't you?"

As Katsu's fist approached, Zakk took aim and fired, knocking the metal armored attack away, "Blunt weapons aren't the only thing that can block a melee attack."

Katsu surprised him with a gut punch, knocking him back, "You've gotta learn to pay attention!"

The fight drove on, with bullets soaring and fists swinging. Eventually Zakk had to reload. He leapt back and pulled out a clip, only to be intercepted and knocked down. Katsu pulled back his fist and went for the final blow, "This ends now!"

Zakk rolled to the side and picked up his Vulcan again, quickly revving up the spinning barrels and firing, "I won't go down that easily!"

Katsu ran straight at him, not caring how many hits he took, and drove his fist into the bottom gun, breaking it. The resulting jam in ammunition caused the bottom gun to tear itself apart, breaking the weapon in half and leaving only one Vulcan still working. He took the advantage, kicking Zakk to the ground and landing a hard punch on his chest. There was a sickening crack as Zakk's ribcage shattered, and Katsu's hand stung from the impact.

Zakk took in a sharp breath and struggled to hold it for a moment. He let it out slowly and took in another, this one much easier. He shut his eyes and winced from the pain, "Good... Very good..."

Katsu's hand shook, partly from the pain, and partly from the shock of what he had just done, "Zakk... Why..?"

"Because," Zakk said, coughing, "It's just like I said... I lack the ability to change my fate. I needed you to do it for me. I guess the only thing that could be done, has been done."

"It didn't have to end like this, and you know it..."

"You'll see why one day, Katsu. I have faith. I can see, though, that you're in for a rough time..."

"I don't know what you're talking ab--" Katsu's vision blurred, and he fell on his side. It was only now that he realized how much blood he had lost.

Zakk smiled, "You'll be ok. I know you'll get better somehow..."

"Damn you, you overconfident bastard," Katsu said, standing himself up again, "You're such an idiot..."

Zakk sighed and let his body go limp, "No argument there... See ya 'round... buddy."

Katsu shut his eyes tight and dropped to his knees. He slammed his hands on the ground and let out a pained scream that echoed through the woods. A few moments of silence passed, and he stood again. He picked up the remaining Vulcan that Zakk carried. He placed the handguns back into his friend's holsters. He nodded, "I'll live on... for the both of us. I'll make sure this gun doesn't harm innocent lives again. I promise."

He traveled for what seemed like an eternity, and wound up in the middle of a desert. He did not know how he even got there. Something told him that what Zakk said about fate was true-- that he was its instrument, and it was now leading him somewhere. All thought abandoned him, however, as he collapsed on the sand, fatigued from the loss of blood.

After what could have easily been either seconds or hours, voices flooded his ears, "Is he alive?"

"Barely. It's a shock he survived this long."

"That's good enough. Patch him quick and we'll bring him back to base."

"Shall I send the order to ready the data transfusion?"

"Yes, and tell them to be quick about it. This one could be... useful."

"At once, Lord Beelzemon."

Katsu awoke later with his pain almost gone. He looked down to see his wounds were still there, but the bleeding had stopped. He did not recognize the dark room he was in, but it looked to him like an infirmary. He stood and searched for his weapons, which were nowhere to be found.

A dark voice came from behind him, "You have awakened. Good. Lord Beelzemon wishes to see you."

The tall and dark Karatenmon led Katsu to Beelzemon's chamber, where the three-eyed power-hungry villain sat, eagerly awaiting an audience with his new employee. Karatenmon stood before Beelzemon, "He has awakened, my lord."

"As I can see," Beelzemon said, "Leave us."

Karatenmon did as instructed. Katsu immediately asked, "Where am I?"

"My humble abode, of course. My servants and I found you nearly dead, and graciously took you back to fix you up. We'd never leave an injured man like yourself to die."

"What's the catch," Katsu asked, already seeing that this Beelzemon character was a vile one.

Beelzemon grinned, "Your injuries, as you have undoubtedly noticed, are not as fixed as you would hope. I have complete and direct control over whether you live or die, and if you want to stay on my good side, you will help me. Is this clear?"

Katsu's eyes narrowed. What a spot he had been put in. He said bluntly, "Well then, I guess I have no choice. I made a promise that I'd live on."

"Glad we understand each other," Beelzemon said with an unsavory glee, "Perhaps you should become better acquainted with the others... You'll be working together quite a bit!"

Katsu sighed, "And so began my days working under him... Beelzemon. The most underhanded, self-loving son of a bitch villain ever to hit the Digital World."

Vincent was silent. This was not something he had expected. All of the times they fought Vincent; all of the data they lost to him... None of it was his choice. He nodded and said, "I got it. We'll help you then. Consider it done."

Katsu smiled a bit, "Thanks. Now all I need is Lupimon to switch preferences again and I'll be great."

The Curse I Gave Myself

_Server Continent, one year ago..._

An explosion rocked the building. The tenth floor window of the apartment complex in Highton View Terrace burst into flame-- a human man and an orange lizard-like Digimon leaping down the fire escape to avoid the blast. A few seconds later, Gatomon followed them, nursing a burn wound on her tail. The man held a younger woman in his arms, trying to find a place to hide, "Kari, wake up! We're being attacked!"

The girl, Kari, opened her eyes, beads of sweat covering her forehead, "Tai... What's going o-- unh..."

"Kari! Stay with me!"

The lizard Digimon, Agumon, looked worried, "Her pneumonia... Is it getting worse?"

"The stress... It's effecting her."

The sound of heavy boots walking across the floor alerted them. Tai reached into his pocket and produced his Digivice, "What a Christmas season this is... Glad I was here visiting. Agumon, let's find this guy and show him what we're made of!"

Katsu walked into view down below, "Well, well... The strongest of the Digi Destined, Tai Kamiya. Set your sister down. I'm dealing with you first."

Tai hesitated, but he placed Kari on the fire escape landing, Gatomon guarding her closely. Tai jumped to the ground below, his Digimon partner following shortly after.

Katsu smiled and extended his left arm outward; a metal gauntlet covered his hand. With a flick of his wrist, a foot-long blade extended from the back of the hand guard. He let his arm fall back at his side, "You're confident you can defeat me without your friends?"

"That's more than I could say about you and your explosives," Tai said, an obvious snarl in his voice. He turned to Agumon, "You ready, buddy?"

Agumon nodded, "As I'll ever be."

Tai held out his Digivice, "Then let's show this punk who he's dealing with!"

Agumon began to shine, and his Digivolution began, "Agumon Warp Digivolves to... WarGreymon!"

The familiar metal dinosaur Digimon stood ready, "You're gonna regret what you did to the others!"

Katsu chuckled, "Really now? That's what the second, third and so on said. But now they're all dead. I doubt you'll change much, lizard."

Tai growled, "Tear him apart, WarGreymon!"

WarGreymon activated his thrusters and leapt at him, "Mega Claw!"

There was a sound of metal colliding, and the force from WarGreymon's thrusters began to push Katsu back. Katsu would not be so easily dealt with, however. He diverted the energy to the side and used his right hand, clad in a metal gauntlet as well, to punch WarGreymon into a building.

WarGreymon recovered and attacked again, throwing Katsu back. He followed and drove his Dramon destroyers into the ground, barely missing Katsu's head, "You will not survive this encounter!"

Katsu growled and forced him off, slicing open his chest armor, "We'll see about that!"

WarGreymon staggered backward and cringed, but the wound would not be enough to stop him. He assaulted Katsu with claw attacks, unable to use his energy attacks in such a highly populated area.

Katsu laughed as he took the offensive, "What's the matter, big guy? What happened to the big, strong Digimon I wanted the pleasure of killing? Show me your full potential!"

WarGreymon was getting angry. He looked back at Tai for advice. His partner looked torn, but he gave him a confident nod. WarGreymon went at Katsu again, this time launching him into the air. He gathered as much energy as he could, gathered it into a ball, and hurled it at Katsu, "Gaia Force!"

The ball of energy hit Katsu, sending him flying into a building down the street. He was hurt, and was not sure he could continue the fight. WarGreymon was much stronger than he had thought. He pointed his hand out in front of him and opened a portal to the Digital World, and quickly passed through it. The portal was closing slowly.

Tai and WarGreymon followed him in, reopening the portal as they went through. It began to close again, and Gatomon seemed worried about them.

Kari said, almost in a whisper, "Gatomon..."

The cat Digimon's ears perked up and she turned to her, "Kari, are you alright?"

"Gatomon... They're not coming back. We're all doomed."

"No, Kari, don't--"

There was another explosion. The apartment complex next to them began to crumble. A large piece of debris fell their way, and Gatomon spotted it. Putting all self preservation aside, she threw herself over Kari, punching the debris away. However, there was too much falling onto them. She could not punch them fast enough. Gatomon covered Kari as best as she could, and they were covered in the rubble of the building.

Explosions rocked the woods that Katsu had emerged in. WarGreymon was now using his full potential to destroy him, and his anger was making him even stronger. Katsu figured that if he did not get on the offensive, he would die. He turned around and faced his opponent. They both charged at each other, metal clashing against metal and flesh tearing as armor was destroyed.

Katsu grit his teeth together as he struck, "You're beginning to annoy me, you overgrown iguana..."

"Your arrogance will lead to your end, human," WarGreymon snarled, charging another Gaia Force.

Right as the attack was about to form, Katsu forced WarGreymon's hands into the ground, causing it to erupt beneath them. Katsu took the opportunity to escape WarGreymon and head straight for Tai. The Digi Destined man had no time to react. Katsu's wrist blade was embedded in his chest.

Tai, still in shock, looked down at his wound, "Wha..."

Any form of reluctance WarGreymon had disappeared. He charged at Katsu, his Dramon destroyer ready for the kill. Just in time, Katsu turned around and counterattacked with his own blade.

There was a deadly silence. WarGreymon's chest armor fell apart, and strands of data began to pour from his open wound. At the same time, Tai was beginning to grasp what had happened to him. At the same time, both human and Digimon partner collapsed.

The metal in Katsu's wrist blade splintered and cracked. With a loud clanking sound, the blade and gauntlet shattered. Katsu's chest exploded with blood, three huge slash marks running across his front side. He cringed from the pain, "Dammit..."

WarGreymon let out a long sigh, "Do you really think that what you're doing is right, human? You're only making things worse for both the Digital World and the human world alike."

Katsu frowned, "Oh really? All you Digi-Destined ever did was make things worse. Without you, evil Digimon will have no reason to seek greater power. The Administrators will take care of things from here on."

"Do you truly and honestly believe that?"

Before Katsu could answer, a voice came from over his radio, "Katsu… I've made a discovery. You're not going to like it…"

It was the voice of Zakk, his commanding officer. The voice continued, "I'm coming to you now. Please, stay where you are."

WarGreymon laughed and coughed, "Another one of you? You apparently don't need another man to finish me off. So do it. My partner is dead. I have… nothing else to live for."

A dark-robed man approached them. He took off the hood, revealing himself to be Zakk. The spiky-haired man smiled at Katsu, "Hey there… buddy. Got a minute?"

Katsu's brow furrowed, "What is this about, commander?"

"Please… don't call me that anymore. Soon I won't be more than a traitor," Zakk said, walking over to WarGreymon. He reached into his pocket and produced a large metal tube. He opened it, revealing a glowing white orb of data. He handed it to WarGreymon, "Here. A relic from a time long forgotten. It will change you, but you will not die. Think of it as my parting gift to this world."

Katsu growled, "Zakk, what are you doing? Master Deus specifically ordered that every Digi Destined human and Digimon are to be--"

"I_know_ what Deus said, Katsu. I'm here so you can decide something for me," Zakk said, reaching over his back. He pulled his huge double Vulcan gun off its strap and let it rest on the ground, "I've sinned. Too much for me to bear, I'm afraid. I know that the Administrators have done a lot of horrible things to the Digital World, and that Digimon are living, breathing things, just like humans. But I'm in this whole thing too deep right now… I don't know what Deus is planning to do, but something catastrophic is going to happen to both the human and Digital world. I'm asking you… to kill me, Katsu."

Katsu's eyes widened, "But Zakk…"

"Kill me… or die. If you succeed, then I am worthy of ceasing my own crimes against our worlds. And if you fail… then I will know for sure that I am doomed to a life of corruption. I learned today, that I am unable to decide my own fate. So please, Katsu… my friend… take my life, or give me yours."

There was a long silence between the two. Katsu shut his eyes and sighed, "Zakk… What about Renee?"

"She has to find out on her own time. If we tell her now, she will be in shock, and Deus will likely terminate her."

"Why must I kill you? If you realize your sins, then just stop right now!"

"If I could, then I most certainly would. Katsu, I am asking you to kill me because there is no forgiving what I have done. The outcome only decides whether or not I continue such atrocities. The choice is no longer ours, my friend. It belongs now to fate, and fate alone."

Katsu grunted. Zakk was always a stubborn person, but this was going too far. He could not understand why it had to come down to one of them dying, but Zakk was not going to give him the chance to ponder it. He watched as his friend lifted his giant weapon to its ready position. Katsu spat and stood ready, "Well then... If that's how it has to be, then so be it. Just to let you know, I'm not going back to tell them what happened."

"I don't want you to go back to them," Zakk said, spinning the barrels on his gun, "The Administrators are evil. If you can, go back to the real world and warn everyone."

"I can't see why you won't let me go and do that now, but whatever. Defend yourself, Zakk," Katsu shouted, charging at his friend with his fist drawn back.

Zakk pulled the triggers on his gun and started firing, "We are both mere instruments of fate now, Katsu. If you are unable to stop the Administrators, then it was meant to be. Your victory, or your defeat, will shape both worlds the way they were meant to be shaped."

Katsu held his gauntlet out in front of him, bullets whizzing by and bouncing off his armor, "I don't want to let fate shape my life! I won't! You might not be able to shape your own destiny, but I can, and I will!"

Zakk saw that he was getting closer, so he readied himself for a melee fight. Katsu took a few shots in his chest and legs before he got close enough to strike. As he threw his punch, Zakk dropped his Vulcan and dodged to the side. He reached into his cloak and pulled out two handguns, "Well now, things are getting dicey."

Katsu attacked again, "Always had a pocket ace, haven't you?"

As Katsu's fist approached, Zakk took aim and fired, knocking the metal armored attack away, "Blunt weapons aren't the only thing that can block a melee attack."

Katsu surprised him with a gut punch, knocking him back, "You've gotta learn to pay attention!"

The fight drove on, with bullets soaring and fists swinging. Eventually Zakk had to reload. He leapt back and pulled out a clip, only to be intercepted and knocked down. Katsu pulled back his fist and went for the final blow, "This ends now!"

Zakk rolled to the side and picked up his Vulcan again, quickly revving up the spinning barrels and firing, "I won't go down that easily!"

Katsu ran straight at him, not caring how many hits he took, and drove his fist into the bottom gun, breaking it. The resulting jam in ammunition caused the bottom gun to tear itself apart, breaking the weapon in half and leaving only one Vulcan still working. He took the advantage, kicking Zakk to the ground and landing a hard punch on his chest. There was a sickening crack as Zakk's ribcage shattered, and Katsu's hand stung from the impact.

Zakk took in a sharp breath and struggled to hold it for a moment. He let it out slowly and took in another, this one much easier. He shut his eyes and winced from the pain, "Good... Very good..."

Katsu's hand shook, partly from the pain, and partly from the shock of what he had just done, "Zakk... Why..?"

"Because," Zakk said, coughing, "It's just like I said... I lack the ability to change my fate. I needed you to do it for me. I guess the only thing that could be done, has been done."

"It didn't have to end like this, and you know it..."

"You'll see why one day, Katsu. I have faith. I can see, though, that you're in for a rough time..."

"I don't know what you're talking ab--" Katsu's vision blurred, and he fell on his side. It was only now that he realized how much blood he had lost.

Zakk smiled, "You'll be ok. I know you'll get better somehow..."

"Damn you, you overconfident bastard," Katsu said, standing himself up again, "You're such an idiot..."

Zakk sighed and let his body go limp, "No argument there... See ya 'round... buddy."

Katsu shut his eyes tight and dropped to his knees. He slammed his hands on the ground and let out a pained scream that echoed through the woods. A few moments of silence passed, and he stood again. He picked up the remaining Vulcan that Zakk carried. He placed the handguns back into his friend's holsters. He nodded, "I'll live on... for the both of us. I'll make sure this gun doesn't harm innocent lives again. I promise."

He traveled for what seemed like an eternity, and wound up in the middle of a desert. He did not know how he even got there. Something told him that what Zakk said about fate was true-- that he was its instrument, and it was now leading him somewhere. All thought abandoned him, however, as he collapsed on the sand, fatigued from the loss of blood.

After what could have easily been either seconds or hours, voices flooded his ears, "Is he alive?"

"Barely. It's a shock he survived this long."

"That's good enough. Patch him quick and we'll bring him back to base."

"Shall I send the order to ready the data transfusion?"

"Yes, and tell them to be quick about it. This one could be... useful."

"At once, Lord Beelzemon."

Katsu awoke later with his pain almost gone. He looked down to see his wounds were still there, but the bleeding had stopped. He did not recognize the dark room he was in, but it looked to him like an infirmary. He stood and searched for his weapons, which were nowhere to be found.

A dark voice came from behind him, "You have awakened. Good. Lord Beelzemon wishes to see you."

The tall and dark Karatenmon led Katsu to Beelzemon's chamber, where the three-eyed power-hungry villain sat, eagerly awaiting an audience with his new employee. Karatenmon stood before Beelzemon, "He has awakened, my lord."

"As I can see," Beelzemon said, "Leave us."

Karatenmon did as instructed. Katsu immediately asked, "Where am I?"

"My humble abode, of course. My servants and I found you nearly dead, and graciously took you back to fix you up. We'd never leave an injured man like yourself to die."

"What's the catch," Katsu asked, already seeing that this Beelzemon character was a vile one.

Beelzemon grinned, "Your injuries, as you have undoubtedly noticed, are not as fixed as you would hope. I have complete and direct control over whether you live or die, and if you want to stay on my good side, you will help me. Is this clear?"

Katsu's eyes narrowed. What a spot he had been put in. He said bluntly, "Well then, I guess I have no choice. I made a promise that I'd live on."

"Glad we understand each other," Beelzemon said with an unsavory glee, "Perhaps you should become better acquainted with the others... You'll be working together quite a bit!"

Katsu sighed, "And so began my days working under him... Beelzemon. The most underhanded, self-loving son of a bitch villain ever to hit the Digital World."

Vincent was silent. This was not something he had expected. All of the times they fought Vincent; all of the data they lost to him... None of it was his choice. He nodded and said, "I got it. We'll help you then. Consider it done."

Katsu smiled a bit, "Thanks. Now all I need is Lupimon to switch preferences again and I'll be great."


	27. A Note From the Author

Hey everyone! I know it's been a while (ok, a HELL of a while) since I updated Curse of the Administrators, and I apologize to everyone who's been awaiting the ending of the story.

To explain myself: Life took a bunch of twists and turns since my last update. I moved on from the story, to say it one way. I wrote other things, I got better at writing, was able to put more detail into everything... and every time I decided to look back at CoTA, it felt... below me. Not that I dislike the plot I made for it, but the writing style I used to have now makes me cringe when looking at it.

So, here's what I'm going to do about this.

As of right now, Digimon: Curse of the Administrators is on an indefinite hiatus. I may or may not go back to it, and I'm really not leaning one way or the other right now.

If I DO go back to it, I'm going to write it again from scratch. The events will probably more or less play out like they did, but with a little more solid writing and less emphasis on the Vincent/Renamon subplot. I was seventeen when I wrote this story originally. I am now twenty-two. I've improved a great deal since then, and part of me wants this story to get the love it deserves, for whatever that's worth to those who read it.

Now, I have a couple of questions for my readers:

Do you want this to be continued? Were people enjoying it enough to justify it?

My second question- one that I find a little odd to ask on here, but I will ask it anyway, since I got a request for this kind of scene in a comment. Does this site allow adult scenes? I've seen a few stories including them, but as far as the rules go, I'm still uncertain. I've written mostly adult-themed stories since I left, so I'd have no problem with it. I'd just... like to know I'm allowed, first.

Anyways, this has gone on far longer than I originally intended, so I'll wrap it up here. If anyone is still following me on this site, I would hope that you'd take the time to comment on this note and give me some feedback. Thanks in advance, and I hope everyone's had a good few years since I last received a comment from my regulars.

Regards,

Anubus


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